THURSDAY’S WEATHER | Partly cloudy skies as warm weather builds for weekend

Metro Atlanta is going to see warmer-than-average weather over the next few days, and we better enjoy it while we can because it might be the last warm blast of the season.

“Late October, sometimes it’s very warm, sometimes very cold, and this year, we’re on the warm side,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

Thursday is already starting off milder than the region has seen for the past several days. Morning temperatures are in the 50s and 60s and will climb into the upper 70s by this afternoon. In the city, the high will be about 77 degrees, which is six degrees above average for this time of year.

It’ll get even hotter on Friday, with an expected high of 79 degrees. And for the weekend, it’ll feel more like September than October, Monahan said. Highs will be in the 80s on Saturday and Sunday.

While that is hotter than normal for this time of year, it’s still on track for then we typically see our last 80-degree day before the spring, Monahan sad. On average, the last day to reach 80 degrees falls on Oct. 24. Last year, the last 80-degree day came a little later in the season, falling on Nov. 8 — Election Day.

This year, much cooler air is expected to filter in as we head into November, Monahan said. Two cold fronts are on the way, which will open the door to the cold air that has been bottled up in Canada thanks to an area of high pressure that is hovering over the region.

“That’s going to take us from the warm weather on Monday to the mild weather on Halloween,” he said.

Temperatures should still be in the 70s on Halloween afternoon, but as night falls and we get into Wednesday morning, that cold Canadian air will blanket the region.

“By Wednesday, many of us may not get out of the 50s for highs,” Monahan said.

That will be the next best chance for showers, too.