Dry weekend filled with games, festivals to be followed by rainy Monday

There’s plenty to do in Atlanta this weekend, and forecasters are predicting dry, warm weather before rain moves into the area on Monday.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said Saturday and Sunday should be partly cloudy, with highs in the mid-80s and lows in the mid-60s.

Looking ahead to next week, Nitz is calling for a 60 percent chance of rain on Monday, diminishing to 40 percent Tuesday.

That forecast will be music to the ears of organizers of this weekend’s outdoor events, including the Atlanta Arts Festival Saturday and Sunday at Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival Friday night and Saturday at Atlantic Station.

Outdoor sporting events include a three-game series between the Braves and the Nationals at Turner Field. Game times are 7:35 Friday, 4:05 Saturday and 8:05 Sunday.

At Bobby Dodd Stadium, Georgia Tech takes on Virginia at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, while over in Athens, the Bulldogs play Florida Atlantic at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Indoor activities include the Georgia State University-University of Texas at San Antonio football game at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome and the For Sisters Only festival Saturday and Sunday at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Good weather also means the road crews will likely be out in full force along a couple stretches of metro interstates.

On the top-end Perimeter, the three left lanes of I-285 eastbound will be shut down from Paces Ferry Road to Roswell Road, beginning at 11 p.m. Friday and continuing through 5 a.m. Monday.

On the southeast quadrant of the Perimeter, crews will be blocking the left lane of I-285 eastbound between I-85 and I-20 all weekend.