Metro Atlanta's kids -- and adults -- will have a dry but chilly evening for trick-or-treating, but traffic experts are predicting an absolutely ghoulish Monday afternoon commute.
"The afternoon rush on Halloween normally starts earlier than normal on the interstates," warned Captain Herb Emory in the AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB Traffic Center.
AJC "Gridlock Guy" Mark Arum concurs with Emory, saying that, "historically speaking, this afternoon's rush hour is one of the scariest and slowest you'll encounter all year."
Arum predicted that the afternoon rush will start between 2 and 3 p.m., and last until 7.
At least the roads will be dry.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said clear skies Monday will help Atlanta warm up from morning temperatures that dropped into the 30s. The high will be about 63, but trick-or-treaters will need to dress warmly as evening temperatures will drop into the 50s.
Temperatures just before daybreak Monday ranged from 31 in Peachtree City and 33 near Mableton to 37 in Chamblee and 41 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Monday's pattern will be familiar by week's end -- cold mornings and highs in the mid-60s are on tap through Friday. The skies will not darken until at least Thursday, when there's a 30 percent chance of rain, said Nitz.
Morning temps this week in Atlanta will be close to 40 or a little warmer. The suburbs will be a few degrees cooler however, down to the mid-3os. High afternoon temps should range from 63 to 67.
The same weather system that brought record snow to the northeast U.S. -- 30 inches of white stuff fell in western Massachusetts this weekend -- has made Atlanta a little cooler than average for this time of year, said Nitz.
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