North Georgia has one more day to get outside and enjoy the nice weather before the return of rain and storms Thursday.
Wednesday should be another warm, dry day with high temperatures in the low 80s, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. North Georgia will enjoy a mix of clouds and sunshine this afternoon, he said.
“Today is going to be another day to keep the playground in the plans for the afternoon,” Monahan said. “Even with a few more clouds today, and a bit more humidity, we’re going to stay dry today.”
Atlanta’s projected high is 81 degrees, which is 10 degrees above average for this time of year. Monahan said that kind of heat is more typical of early May than early April.
“It gets to be 81 degrees in April, you know you’re going to have problems with pollen,” he said. “The pollen peak is in the next couple of weeks. What will help it is some rain.”
Rain in the forecast Thursday, Friday and Saturday should help to wash some of the pollen out of the air,, he said. The count is expected to remain in the extremely high range Wednesday, with trees like pine, mulberry, oak, birch and sycamore as the top pollen contributors.
Monahan said North Georgia will hold off on the rain through the overnight hours. He expects showers to begin in northwest Georgia between 6 and 8 a.m. and make their way into metro Atlanta by late morning.
There is a 60% chance of rain and storms, according to Channel 2.
“It’s not a washout,” Monahan said. “We’ll mix in a little sunshine tomorrow, too, but were also going to see a risk for some strong storms.”
The Weather Service has categorized the severe weather threat for North Georgia as a Level 1, the lowest risk level out of five. Another 60% chance of rain and storms is in the forecast Friday, and thunderstorms are 70% likely Saturday.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
With dry pavement and fewer drivers on the roads during spring break, the Wednesday morning drive is looking good. No shutdowns or major crashes have been reported as of 6:30 a.m., according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Conditions are lighter than normal on the Downtown Connector, the Traffic Center reported.
Only one slow zone is impacting the drive for Gwinnett County commuters. A tractor-trailer crash on I-85 South at Pleasantdale Road is causing some delays getting into Spaghetti Junction, traffic reporter Mark Arum said.
“If you want to use an alternate, you don’t have to. But you can scoot over and use Peachtree Industrial (Boulevard) instead of I-85,” he said.
» 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.
About the Author
