THURSDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Humidity increases ahead of evening rain

A cold front headed for North Georgia could trigger rain and storms in some neighborhoods by Thursday evening, according to Channel 2 Action News.

The front is arriving one day earlier than initially forecast. While it will result in wet weather Thursday, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said it will mean improved conditions for the weekend.

“It’s going to be another warm and humid afternoon for us today across North Georgia,” Monahan said. “With the humidity building, the warmth building, eventually this time of year the dry weather and sunny weather comes to an end. And it’s going to come to an end tonight for a lot of us.”

Some neighborhoods on the Southside are already getting wet Thursday morning. Monahan said stray showers are possible early on, and the chance of showers increases after sunset. The severe weather risk should be contained to the northwest corner of the state, where storms will be strongest.

Even there, he said the severe weather risk is limited to damaging wind gusts.

“That weakens to just some scattered showers in metro Atlanta late tonight,” Monahan said. “By the time you wake up tomorrow morning, it’s going to be a little cooler with just a few stray showers around. Any thunderstorm chance will be gone for tomorrow morning.”

A 30% chance of showers Thursday night drops to a 20% chance Friday morning, according to Channel 2. Monahan said it will be enough rain to keep an umbrella handy, but not enough to warrant canceling outdoor plans.

“By the afternoon we’re mainly dry on your Friday, so you should be fine on your outdoor plans,” he said. “That is an improvement from what we were looking at a few days ago.”

Not everyone will see the rain, but Monahan said it will be hard to miss the increase in humidity. It is feeling more like summertime with morning lows in the 50s and 60s Thursday and a projected afternoon high of 82 degrees.

On the other side of the cold front, high temperatures should drop back into the 70s Friday, according to Channel 2. Saturday’s projected high is 76, and there is no rain in the forecast.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Monahan said it is unlikely shower activity Thursday will impact the morning commute. Even without wet pavement, there are delays after a few early morning crashes, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

In Cherokee County, an overturned piece of machinery was blocking a left lane on I-575 South at Hickory Flat Highway. Things are slow going through Canton, the Traffic Center reported.

Conditions are better inside the Perimeter. In Atlanta, there are no delays on the Downtown Connector to start the Thursday morning rush.

The Traffic Center expects extra evening delays, however, with speeds on the connector slowing to 20 mph before 5 p.m.

Drivers in Gwinnett County should also expect delays when President Joe Biden arrives for a drive-in rally at Infinite Energy Center on Sugarloaf Parkway. Air Force One is scheduled to touch down at Gwinnett County Airport shortly before 4 p.m. ahead of the rally at 6 p.m.

Rolling road blocks are expected along surface streets between the air field and the arena. The exact route the president will take is not announced.

After the rally, Biden is scheduled to depart for the Gwinnett County Airport and will likely take a helicopter to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, where Air Force One will take off at 7:35 p.m.

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

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