FRIDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Rain, fog to kick off soggy weekend

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said a cold front will keep North Georgia soggy Friday.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said a cold front will keep North Georgia soggy Friday.

North Georgia is looking at three straight days with basically no sunshine.

Rain and clouds are in the forecast through Sunday as a stalled cold front keeps the region soggy, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. Any outdoor plans will have to move to next weekend.

“An active storm track, that’s why we’ve been so wet over the last couple of days,” Monahan said. “And were going to stay wet over the next several days, into early next week.”

Monahan said he does not expect heavy rain Friday morning, but there are a few showers around for the morning drive. Metro Atlanta is under a dense fog advisory until 10 a.m., which could create hazardous driving conditions as visibility drops below a quarter-mile.

The afternoon will be cloudy with a 40% chance of rain, according to Channel 2.

Temperatures are starting the day mild in the upper 50s, but Monahan said they will fall gradually through the day. Atlanta is expected to end up at 47 degrees Friday afternoon.

North Georgia is on the warmer side of a winter storm track, keeping colder air back to the west. Monahan said the region will stay mild as the rain continues to fall.

“There is going to be some significant winter weather over the next several days, but that’s going to line up basically from Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi, and to the north and east,” he said. “For us, that means rain.”

He expects the next heavy round of rain to move through North Georgia late Friday night. Rain chances increase to 80% Saturday and drop back to 60% Sunday, with temperatures in the 40s both days, according to the latest forecast.

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

It may be wet and foggy, but metro Atlanta interstates are lighter than normal to start the Friday morning drive, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. No major crashes are causing delays at 6:30 a.m., the Traffic Center reported.

“Delay-free downtown right now,” traffic reporter Mark Arum said. “The connector moving well despite the wet pavement between the airport and Midtown. It won’t be that way this afternoon.”

Arum expects extra Friday afternoon delays on the Downtown Connector. Traffic will be heaviest about 6 p.m., he said, when speeds on the interstate are expected to drop to 20 mph.

» 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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