It won’t be a perfect weekend — showers are expected to move in Sunday — but most of it should be a delight.
After several days of cool, windy weather stemming from superstorm Sandy, things began warming up Friday, and that trend should continue into the weekend.
“The weekend is starting nice,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said. “Saturday will be mostly sunny. We’ll be chilly in the morning, down in the 40s, but we’ll warm into the low 70s.”
Nitz said a cold front will move in Sunday, bringing a chance of rain late in the day. The low Sunday will be in the mid-50s, with a high in the low 70s.
The weather should permit the DOT to get in at least some of its scheduled road work, including repaving on I-285.
Motorists should be aware of lane closures on I-285 eastbound from Roswell Road to Ashford Dunwoody Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday; and I-285 westbound from Ga. 400 to Paces Ferry Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Some highway ramps will also be blocked or partially closed: I-285 southbound to Paces Ferry Road from 7 a.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday; I-285 eastbound to Northside Drive from 7 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday; I-285 eastbound to Ga. 400 southbound from 1 a.m. Saturday to 5 p.m. Saturday; Peachtree Dunwoody Road to I-285 eastbound from 5 a.m. Saturday to 5 p.m. Saturday; Northside Drive to I-285 eastbound from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday; Riverside Drive to I-285 eastbound from 7 a.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday; Windy Hill Road to I-75 southbound from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Major events downtown this weekend include the Atlanta Hawks season opener at Philips Arena vs. the Houston Rockets Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Georgia State Panthers play Old Dominion at the Georgia Dome Saturday at 3:30 p.m. In Athens, the Georgia Bulldogs take on Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday night, the Falcons play the Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.
MARTA, meanwhile, is advising downtown residents and visitors that it will be conducting emergency training exercises late Saturday night and early Sunday morning at the Five Points rail station.
The exercise, which involves a staged emergency incident, will take place from 11 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday.
MARTA spokeswoman Cara Hodgson said the exercise will have a minimal impact on regular service.
“Rail service will be single tracked at Five Points Station from 10 p.m. to the end of service that evening and will resume normal service the next day,” she said in a statement. “Rail customers may experience very slight delays.”
Street closures will take effect approximately one hour before the end of normal service.
Streets that will be affected include Broad Street, Mitchell Street, Peachtree Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Broad Street, Forsyth Street, Alabama Street, Marietta Street and Wall Street.
“Residents in the area should expect to hear loud noises during the exercise between 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m.,” Hodgson said. “Emergency response vehicles will use flashing lights, but no sirens, in and around the Five Points Station.”
Whatever your weekend plans may be, you’ll have an extra hour to do them. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, so move your clocks back one hour before going to bed.
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