If temperatures in the 30s and 40s Monday morning have you dreaming of warmer weather, you won’t have to wait long.
A clear sky will help metro Atlanta warm up quickly Monday, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. The city is headed for a high of 61 degrees, which is below average but a good 20 degrees above its starting point.
“A nice finish later today. An even nicer finish tomorrow,” Monahan said. “We’re going to be up in the 70s for highs tomorrow afternoon. A long way to go before we’re into that big warming trend Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Mountain counties are beginning Monday with temperatures near freezing, and a freeze watch is in effect until 7 a.m. Monahan expects only “spotty locations” to actually hit 32 degrees, with the rest of North Georgia, including metro Atlanta, only experiencing frost.
A frost advisory for areas south of the mountains also expires at 7 a.m.
“All the way through this week, all the way Thanksgiving week, I don’t see any freezing temperatures actually in town,” he said. “We’re behind schedule for when we usually see out first fall freeze in metro Atlanta. While temperatures are cold, they have not gotten anywhere close to freezing.”
He expects the city to warm up pretty steadily Monday. Under a clear sky, temperatures will also drop steadily overnight, bottoming out at 42 degrees for another chilly start Tuesday, according to Channel 2.
A warmer push of air moves in Tuesday afternoon, which should help Atlanta return to the 70s. It will be the same story Wednesday with a chilly start, warm afternoon and no rain in the forecast, Monahan said.
Rain returns Thursday, when showers are 30% likely, he said.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
DeKalb County commuters will want to avoid I-285 as the Monday morning drive gets underway. A crash investigation has all but one westbound lane shut down before Bouldercrest Road, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
One center lane was reopened at 6:30 a.m. to relieve the drivers stuck behind the wreck for three hours. A crash investigation is ongoing, the Traffic Center reported.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“You’re going to want to have an alternate for this. You don’t want to get stuck in this mess,” traffic reporter Heather Catlin said. “Go ahead and take I-20 instead of I-285 westbound right before Bouldercrest Road.”
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
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