THURSDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Sunshine, cool breeze for first full day of fall

North Georgia is being treated to textbook fall weather for the first full day of autumn.

Thursday is starting out with temperatures in the low 50s in Atlanta, the coolest weather for the city since Memorial Day. A cool breeze, dry air and sunshine will all contribute to a beautiful afternoon with highs in the low 70s, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan.

It’s a marked change from the tropical conditions the region has endured the past week.

“It’s been wet. It’s been soggy for a while,” Monahan said. “We get a chance to dry out over the next week to 10 days, if not longer, before we see our next raindrops across North Georgia.”

A cold front that swept through the region Wednesday wiped out all the rain and humidity and was timed almost perfectly with the autumnal equinox, the official start of fall. It also dropped temperatures about 20 degrees, Monahan said.

“If you are not prepared for that when you walk out the door this morning, it’s going to be a little shock,” he said, suggesting a sweatshirt or light jacket.

While Monahan said temperatures will eventually rise Thursday, humidity will stay “nice and low.” Atlanta’s projected high of 73 degrees is nearly 10 degrees below average for this time of year. Those temperatures are more typical of October.

“If you like the fall weather, you’re going to like the five-day forecast,” Monahan said.

Lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s are in the forecast through the end of the week, but they aren’t here to stay, he said. He expects a return to the 80s by Sunday.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

“Not only do we have the great weather, we have a pretty good ride on the interstates,” WSB traffic reporter Heather Catlin said.

There are no major delays on metro Atlanta interstates at the start of the Thursday morning drive, Catlin said at 6:30 a.m. While there have been multiple crashes reported, there are no longstanding closures.

That’s true for the I-285 inner loop, where an earlier crash at Chamblee Dunwoody Road has cleared and all lanes are back open at 6:30 a.m. Traffic was still recovering, but no alternates are needed.

» 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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