More sunshine is in the forecast Wednesday, but Atlanta has turned cooler days ahead of the coldest weather so far this winter.
Gone are the clouds and mild temperatures from just 24 hours ago. Atlanta is starting the day 14 degrees lower than on Tuesday, and temperatures this afternoon are headed for a projected high of 53 degrees, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan.
“Our temperatures are kind of going backward after the last couple of days,” Monahan said. “It’s been nice, up near 60, but today is nowhere close. Thursday we’re at 52, 49 for Friday, and then it gets really cold as we head into the start of the weekend.”
Temperatures at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have reached the freezing point, and numbers continue to fall Wednesday morning. Monahan said the clouds that contributed to Tuesday’s mild start have moved on, and the city is clear and cold to begin the day.
With plenty of sunshine, things will eventually warm up, he said. But temperatures are on a downward trajectory heading into the weekend, which could bring the coldest air yet this season. For some neighborhoods, it will be the coldest morning in four years, according to Monahan.
“Saturday is going to probably be the coldest day of the winter so far,” he said. “Once we get past Friday, we’re going to have 30s for highs on Saturday. It’s going to be windy and it’s going to be cold.”
Friday will have concerns of its own. Clouds will move in ahead of a coastal weather system that is expected to bring a major snowstorm threat to the Northeast over the weekend, Monahan said. There is a 20% chance of shower in metro Atlanta, and some areas could see rain turn to snow on Friday night.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
There are major delays on Ga. 400 after a dump truck overturned Wednesday morning, blocking multiple southbound lanes past McFarland Parkway, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Authorities remain at the scene at 6:45 a.m., and it was not clear when the freeway would reopen.
“Unfortunately, not a good start to your morning if your commute takes you between Cumming and Alpharetta,” traffic reporter Mike Shields said.
Northside commuters can take Ga. 9 as an alternate until the crash clears.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
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