The metro Atlanta area will enjoy a beautiful weekend of typical late-summer weather as Hurricane Ida makes landfall, where experts expect the strong storm to thrash the Gulf Coast.
Saturday’s forecast calls for high temperatures topping out at 89 or 90, a partly cloudy sky and only a 20% chance of rain in Atlanta. However, weather experts will be laser-focused on the gulf, where Ida is predicted to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane on Saturday, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
“Heat energy is what energizes a hurricane. You need at least 80-degree temperatures for a hurricane to form or maintain its strength,” Nitz said. Ida’s path is predicted to take it through very warm Gulf waters on Saturday and Sunday, with average surface temperatures ranging from 85-90 degrees as it approaches land.
By Sunday, Nitz is predicting Ida to be a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of up to 140 mph as makes landfall near New Orleans. Sunday also happens to be the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The Mississippi River Valley area is expected to get between 8 and 16 inches of rain Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday night, some of that rain will begin to hit metro Atlanta, though not nearly at the same volume, Nitz said.
The water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico is between 85-90° along the projected path of Hurricane Ida. This heat will fuel rapid strengthening into a major hurricane this weekend. pic.twitter.com/QYiw2Ny3W0
— Brad Nitz (@BradNitzWSB) August 27, 2021
Great weather Saturday will be welcome news for sports fans as multiple major Atlanta teams return to action on their home turf. Atlanta United will face off against Nashville SC in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 3:30 p.m., so expect additional traffic downtown and on the I-75/85 Connector. The Atlanta Braves will host the San Francisco Giants at Truist Park at 7:20 p.m., adding extra traffic volume around the junction of I-75 and I-285.
Elsewhere on the Perimeter, a major change to traffic patterns will be in full effect Saturday at the interchange between I-285 and Ga. 400, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. With the aim of opening two new ramps from I-285 East onto Ga. 400′s northbound and southbound lanes by 9 a.m. Sunday, the existing ramps will be closed Friday night. Multiple surface streets will be closed or redirected as the work is completed.
Further north on Ga. 400, there will be overnight ramp closures this weekend at Northridge Road for safety improvements. In Fulton and DeKalb counties, I-85 North will see overnight lane closures for restriping. Also on I-85, watch out for lane closures headed south at Cheshire Bridge Road for bridge rehabilitation work.
According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, keep an eye out for daytime lane closures on Powder Springs Road for an ongoing widening project in Cobb County. Elsewhere in Cobb, lane closures will be installed on Veterans Memorial Parkway to continue a resurfacing project.
» 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.
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