Enjoy the dry and warm weather Thursday, because a storm system arriving Thursday night will mean big changes for North Georgia.
A strong cold front could trigger strong or even severe storms when it arrives after dark, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. The threat of damaging winds and tornadoes is greater for Georgia’s neighbors to the west, but there remains a marginal risk of severe weather for all of North Georgia.
“We’ll get into the mid-70s today, 50s tomorrow, and in between we’ve got storms,” Monahan said. “That’s kind of the way things go around here as you get into February, March and April. This is our severe weather season.”
Ahead of the storms, Atlanta’s projected high is 74, a few degrees shy of the record high of 77 set in 2018. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s on Thursday morning are closer to the average highs for this time of year.
Monahan is expecting only isolated showers during the day, and while it will be humid and breezy, outdoor plans shouldn’t be impacted Thursday. A wind advisory will go into effect at noon out ahead of the storm system.
It’s only after sunset that North Georgia will need to be weather-aware, Monahan said.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had some measurable rain in Atlanta, 12 days,” he said. “We’re going to break that streak today as rain and storms move in late tonight.”
Monahan expects the line of storms to weaken by the time it reaches northwest Georgia late Thursday night, after about 8 p.m. The storms should reach metro Atlanta between about 10 p.m. and midnight, he said.
“While there is a risk of a brief spin-up tornado, it is a low one,” Monahan said. “It will be isolated across North Georgia, and that risk will diminish after about midnight tonight around metro Atlanta.”
Heavy rain will be the primary impact, but damaging wind gusts and tornadoes are also possible. The National Weather Service has upgraded the threat of severe weather to a Level 2, a slight risk, for a sliver of northwest Georgia.
“That tornado risk will quickly diminish after about 2 to 3 a.m., and by the time you wake up tomorrow it’s much cooler, but the sun will be back out for us,” Monahan said.
He is predicting lows at or near freezing on Friday morning and highs in the low 50s. This weekend should be dry and seasonable with highs in the upper 50s and low 60s on Saturday and Sunday, according to the latest forecast.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
It’s dry Thursday morning, and metro Atlanta interstates are moving fine at the start of the morning drive, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
There are delays on a busy Marietta road, however. A tractor-trailer crashed on Marietta Parkway south of the Marietta Parkway Loop, and all northbound lanes are closed, the Traffic Center reported at 6:30 a.m.
» 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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