A combination of wet weather and heavy traffic is leading to lengthy delays on metro Atlanta’s interstates as residents head out of town for the long weekend.
The Friday before Memorial Day is already one of the busiest travel days of the year, but popup storms and a series of crashes are making a mess of the afternoon commute, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Delays are building in Sandy Springs near the Ga. 400/I-285 interchange and along I-75 in Henry County, which is typically one of the busiest stretches of interstate during the holiday travel period, according to the Traffic Center.
To make matters worse, an approaching cold front is creating a risk of severe weather in some areas as drivers hit the road later this afternoon.
“For this afternoon and evening, we are watching out for a low-end threat — a level 1 of 5 — for strong and severe storms,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Eboni Deon said. “... Mainly some heavy downpours along with lightning and some strong, damaging wind gusts, so be mindful of that as you make your way out and about.”
Downpours are expected to continue through much of the evening before clearing out just in time for the weekend, according to the latest forecast. Deon urged drivers to give themselves plenty of time to reach their destinations or just leave Saturday morning when the weather is better.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
About the Author