A Labor Day weekend chock full of major events around the metro Atlanta area is expected to have ideal weather, though the traffic may be less cooperative.
Saturday’s forecast calls for a high of 85 degrees and mostly sunny conditions with no chance of rain. The reason for the excellent weather is a large area of high pressure over most of the eastern half of the country, Channel 2 Action News Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
“It’s going to stay dry for the next couple of days,” Burns said Friday. “The high pressure finally gives way as we get into late Sunday.”
Saturday will start relatively cool in the mid-60s before warming to the low- to mid-80s in the afternoon.
“It would be a great day to go up on Lake Lanier or Allatoona Lake,” Burns said. “Picture perfect weather just about everywhere across northern Georgia.”
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
That forecast is a blessing for the crowds expected in throngs this weekend all around metro Atlanta, but with lots of visitors and holiday travel, expect plenty of extra traffic.
Saturday will kick off with cultural events downtown like DragonCon, which expects about 50,000 attendees despite its reduced capacity, and the Taste of Soul festival. In Midtown, the Atlanta Jazz Fest will take over Piedmont Park.
The day also features a couple of college football games, starting with the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the University of Miami Hurricanes at 3:30 p.m. Despite the mid-afternoon kickoff time, expect crowds of tailgaters around Mercedes-Benz Stadium all day long.
At 7:30 p.m., the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will host the Northern Illinois Huskies for their home opener in Midtown. Roads in and around the Georgia Tech campus will shut down several hours prior to the game.
The holiday weekend does mean that Atlanta roads will get a break from construction projects. However, watch out for the usual lane closures and changes to traffic patterns around the junction of I-285 and Ga. 400 for the ongoing Transform 285/400 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.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
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