Everything from the weather to gas prices will be in motion as Thanksgiving approaches.
AAA expects more than 1 million Georgians to take to the road this holiday weekend. Motorists in the metro area will find gas prices about a nickel higher than last week, and the weather colder.
Rain, freezing rain and snow are all in the forecast for north Georgia for the next couple of days. Rain is in the forecast Tuesday, and the National Weather Service said rainfall totals by the time the precipitation ends on Wednesday could total 1 to 2 inches from Atlanta northward and 2 to 3 inches south of Atlanta. Locally, heavier amounts could lead to minor flooding, forecasters said.
There is the possibility of some snow early Wednesday morning, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley said, but it should have little effect on travelers.
Thanksgiving Day is expected to be sunny but cold, with highs in the mid-40s after morning lows around 23 degrees.
Black Friday shoppers will find sunny skies, lows in the upper 20s and highs in the low 50s.
Those sunny skies should hang around through Sunday for the return home from the long holiday weekend.
Monday, the state Department of Transportation cautioned motorists to be on the lookout for icy patches, especially early in the morning.
“Automatic sprinkler systems are often timed to operate at night and, when spray from the sprinklers is blown onto the road or water drains onto the road, black ice is formed, creating a hazard for motorists,” said Mark McKinnon, a spokesman for the DOT.
The DOT has also suspended lane closures on interstates and major state routes, beginning at noon Wednesday and extending through 9 p.m. Sunday.
Holiday travelers getting an early start on the road will find metro Atlanta’s average price for a gallon of regular unleaded about $3.24, up from $3.19 last Monday, according to atlantagasprices.com, a website that monitors the cost of filling up.
The average price a year ago was $3.26.
The lowest prices reported by the website early Monday were $2.99 at a Sunoco station in Lovejoy and between $3.04 and $3.08 at numerous metro Atlanta warehouse clubs.
The state’s rock-bottom price was $2.96 at a station in Rossville near the Tennessee state line.
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