FRIDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Chilly start before cloudy afternoon

Compared to the record heat from earlier in the week, Friday is starting out downright chilly.

Atlanta is in the low 50s to begin the day, while the suburbs are in the 40s. Temperatures in the city are headed for a high of 68 degrees, which is four degrees below average for this time of year, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.

“Much cooler than we’ve been,” he said. “Remember, we were at a record high of 86 back on Tuesday, so a big change in the forecast for today.”

There is no rain in Friday’s forecast, he said. It will be mostly cloudy and chilly for the morning commute, and mostly cloudy and mild for the evening commute, according to Channel 2.

“The rain comes in tomorrow,” Nitz said. “It’s not a rainy day, but you may see a few scattered showers late (Saturday) morning towards midday, and then drying out as we head into the afternoon.”

The heaviest downpours Saturday should stay well to the south, he said. Locally, about a half-inch of rain is expected before North Georgia dries out for any Saturday evening plans, Nitz said.

Sunday morning will start out cool with temperatures in the 40s, he said, but sunshine and dry conditions will help temperatures return to the 70s by the afternoon.

To start the Friday morning rush, traffic is lighter than normal on every metro Atlanta interstate except the southeast Perimeter, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

The outer loop of I-285 is jammed in DeKalb County because of a crash investigation past Flat Shoals Road, the Traffic Center reported. All eastbound lanes are shut down at 6 a.m.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, diesel fuel spilled from a tractor-trailer. Authorities have not provided an estimated time of clearance.

» 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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