Metro Atlanta’s notoriously fickle fall weather has, for once, chosen to follow an autumnal script.
Saturday’s forecast looks to be fall perfection: a cool start to the day with a low temperature just under 60 degrees will gradually warm to the high 70s, an afternoon temperature that will feel comfortable thanks to uncharacteristically dry air.
“With the dry air, we’ve had a nice cool last couple of days, but the new models indicating above-average temperatures coming back to northern Georgia,” Channel 2 Action News Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns said. “We’ve had a nice little taste of fall, but that’s the way it works this time of the year.”
Though the weather will continue to be pleasant and dry through the beginning of next week, a warming trend will take hold, and “by the middle of next week, it’s going to feel more like July,” Burns said. Sunday’s high temperature should hit 80 degrees, and highs will be in the mid-80s by the middle of the workweek.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The great weather is good news for sports teams and construction crews, but it could mean heavier traffic over the weekend, too. A couple of Atlanta’s major sports teams are playing out of town Saturday, but the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will play the University of North Carolina Tarheels at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Expect some traffic volume around downtown and the stadium later in the day.
There’s a bevy of roadwork projects going on this weekend, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. Starting with DeKalb County, overnight lane closures will be installed on I-85 from Clairmont Road down to Midtown to replace pavement markings. There will also be overnight lane closures on Buford Highway between Chamblee Tucker Road and the Gwinnett County line for resurfacing.
In Cobb County, daytime lane closures will be installed for the ongoing widening project along Powder Springs Road. Lanes will be closed overnight on both Marietta Parkway and Veterans Memorial Highway for resurfacing. There will also be overnight lane closures for a restriping project on I-20 that passes through South Cobb as it moves from Fulton to Douglas counties.
Clayton County has its fair share of projects, with Saturday night lane closures on I-675 at Anvil Block Road for overhead sign installation. Fayetteville Road will have overnight single-lane closures for a widening and reconstruction project from Tara Boulevard to McDonough Road. A major project continuing at the junction of I-75 and I-285 to add a collector-distributor lane system will require multiple overnight lane closures on those highways.
Fulton County will see the lion’s share of roadwork this weekend, including two projects at heavily trafficked intown locations. Overnight lane closures will be installed on the Northside Drive bridge over I-75 for bridge preservation work, a potential obstacle for fans leaving the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday night. A lane closure will also be installed at the intersection of Monroe Drive and Armour Drive as concrete work begins on the construction of a roundabout there.
Further south in Fulton, watch out for overnight lane closures on Langford Parkway for restriping. More nighttime lane closures can be expected on Campbellton-Fairburn Road for a resurfacing project, while the same can be said for Birmingham Highway all the way to the Cherokee County line.
In North Fulton, there will be daytime lane closures on Cumming Highway and South Main Street in Alpharetta for a widening project. As usual, watch out for lane closures and traffic pattern changes around the junction of I-285 and Ga. 400 as the ongoing Transform 285/400 project continues.
» 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.
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