Halloween traffic to bring early rush-hour headaches

Traffic congestion could be one of the scariest things we encounter today.

Costumed kiddies and parents in metro Atlanta should be good weather-wise. Rain is in the forecast, but should hold off until well after porch lights are turned off, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said early Thursday.

But traffic is another matter. Traffic reporters say the desire to get home home early for trick-or-treating could move up the afternoon rush hour, possibly to 1 p.m.

“History has told us the Halloween afternoon drive operates like a Friday before a three-day holiday weekend,” said Doug Turnbull in the AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB Traffic Center,

“Only on Halloween everybody is doing it, so it can sometimes be worse than those Fridays.”

He’s expecting the rush hour to hit between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

The upside for those who don’t partake in the holiday fun, rush hour could be lighter than normal around 6 p.m., Turnbull said.

Help may come in the form of people who have heeded the warnings and are working half days or telecommuting. Time will tell.

Back on the weather front, news isn’t as good for Halloween lovers in northwest Georgia and the mountain counties. Minton is advising that trick-or-treaters there should carry umbrellas, along with their treat bags.

Light rain could dampen the fun in those areas between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. and spread across from Rome to Gainesville during the trick-or-treat hours, she said.

Much of the metro Atlanta area will just be cloudy during those hours, with temperatures in the upper 60s to 70.

The bulk of the rain will move through starting after midnight, with the cold front moving through Atlanta around 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.Friday, Minton said.