SATURDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Rain-free day expected before storms return

The start of the weekend should be warm and dry in metro Atlanta, but enjoy it while you can.

Widespread rain is expected to return on Sunday as areas hit hard by Thursday’s storms brace for another round of potentially severe weather, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Glenn Burns said.

“The rain’s coming back on Sunday morning, so not a great deal of time to recover from that saturated ground,” Burns said. “But I want to assure everybody that this is nothing like what we saw (Thursday afternoon and early Friday).”

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

“We’re gonna see some locally heavy rainfall that could cause some more flooding,” Burns said. “But the main threat will be a damaging thunderstorm wind in excess of 58 mph. With the saturated ground here, that is a significant threat because trees will go down like nothing.”

The rain will hold off for most of Saturday, however, making it a great day to get outdoors. While an isolated shower is possible in the morning, Saturday is expected to be relatively warm with a high of 80 degrees, according to the latest forecast.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

As for traffic, the Georgia Department of Transportation has several road projects planned this weekend that could lead to delays on metro Atlanta’s interstates.

In Gwinnett County, drivers should expect delays on I-85 as crews shut down lanes in both directions for road repairs. The long-term project is expected to continue each weekend through June as repairs are made in the north and southbound lanes between Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road, GDOT officials said.

Heads up! Gwinnett County...Weekend Lane Closures on Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County, Northbound and Southbound Lanes https://t.co/pKGWCXdyHj pic.twitter.com/8oPzO00qye
— Georgia DOT ATL (@GDOTATL) March 26, 2021

» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.

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