Move over, rain. Hello, cooler temperatures.
A wet weekend carried over into a wet and dreary Monday morning, but the rain is expected to start gradually clearing out by the afternoon.
“After a 24-hour period of rain that left 3 to 5 inches across the metro area, drier and colder air will roll in beginning tonight,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley said.
Chandley predicts high temperatures on Tuesday in the mid 40s, with a strong northwest wind adding a chill factor.
“Christmas Day will be clear and cool (with) lows in the 20s and a high near 48,” Chandley said. “The low 50s return by the end of the week. Next weekend looks very nice with sunshine and highs in the 54- to 57-degree range.”
For now, rain continues to cause problems throughout the metro area, which is under a flood watch until 4 p.m.
North Hadaway Road between Rolling Oaks Trail and Wooded Oaks is closed because of water on the roadway, according to Cobb County’s official Twitter account.
About 700 homes in Mableton were without power early Monday after a big pine tree fell on Old Alabama Road.
In Cherokee County, Olde Rope Mill Park in Woodstock was among two parks closed, according to Channel 2. Officials also shut down a Woodstock dog park due to rising water at Noonday Creek.
Those incidents followed a weekend of weather-related headaches. On Sunday, a wrecker pulled a car out of a sinkhole in a Home Depot parking lot in Dawsonville, and a clogged storm drain near the Turner Field exit ramp on I-20 caused traffic problems.
The weather should not impact the Monday afternoon commute, according to the WSB Traffic Center. Traffic around Atlanta has been easing up as commuters travel for the holidays.
Drivers should still watch for heavy traffic around the malls and big box stores as shoppers buy last-minute gifts. Expect some delays on I-75 on the south and northwest portions of the city as well as through downtown.
If you want to check on traffic before heading out, you can do so at the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
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