This is the time of year numbers on the thermometer start to rise, and North Georgia will certainly follow that trend Tuesday.
Temperatures are headed for a high of 58 degrees in Atlanta, about four degrees above average for this time of year. Starting Wednesday, average highs will begin to climb as the region typically gets warmer and warmer each afternoon from here on out, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
“We are out of the coldest weather of the winter — on average, I should say — starting today,” Monahan said. “By tomorrow our temperatures start to rise each afternoon on average. I said average, because it’s going to get cold this weekend.”
Tuesday morning is even starting mild with lows in the upper 40s. Compared to Monday’s lows in the 20s and 30s, the weather is almost balmy. Monahan said a system of rain in South Georgia is providing lots of cloud cover to start the day, but the clouds should clear by the afternoon.
“We will finish the day with a good amount of sunshine, about 5 hours of sun in the Tuesday forecast,” he said. “Wednesday and Thursday should be nice and bright each day, about 8 hours of sun each afternoon.”
That same weather system could also be responsible for some isolated sprinkles, but Monahan said most of the wet weather will stay well to the south of metro Atlanta.
Atlanta weather is rarely ever predictable, however. Balking the warmer weather trend, the city will turn colder over the next few days as the cold part of the jet stream dips further south, according to Monahan.
“That will mean seasonable to seasonably cool temperatures for us on Wednesday and Thursday, and then the bottom is really going to drop out over the weekend,” he said. “Get ready for a cold weekend in North Georgia with highs by Saturday that are only going to be in the 30s.”
Atlanta will feel the chill as early as Wednesday morning, after temperatures drop into the low 30s overnight under a clear sky. With projected highs in the low 50s, Wednesday afternoon should still be nice. Monahan said the city will see more of the same Thursday.
By Friday night, temperatures could be low enough that a 20% chance of rain could result in wintry precipitation, according to the latest forecast. It is still too early to accurately predict which neighborhoods could see rain turn to snow, but Monahan said Friday should be mainly dry for most of the region.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
While there are no weather concerns Tuesday, Cobb County commuters are running into a big problem on I-20 East. After an early crash with injuries, only a left lane is getting by at Riverside Parkway past Six Flags Over Georgia, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
The trip from Ga. 92 to I-285 was clocking in at well over an hour, the Traffic Center reported at 6:30 a.m. Authorities have not said when the lanes might reopen, traffic reporter Mike Shields said.
“I will tell you to use U.S. 78, that is going to save you several minutes out of Douglasville, Lithia Springs getting to I-285,” Shields said.
» 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.
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