It was a sluggish afternoon on the roads Friday afternoon, and the evening commute is not much better.
Drivers on I-85 South in Fulton County are dealing with heavy delays after a crash blocked all lanes near Ga. 74, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
The Perimeter is recovering after a crash briefly blocked all northbound lanes near LaVista Road in DeKalb County, according to the Traffic Center.
A major roadway in south Fulton County was shut down earlier after a crash involving a MARTA bus. All lanes of Roosevelt Highway were blocked at Wilkerson Mill Road, the Traffic Center reported.
A pickup truck hit the bus head-on. The truck driver was killed, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
RELATED: Road closed after MARTA bus collides with pickup truck in Palmetto
The only good news on the roads Friday evening is that Southside delays have shrunk considerably. Earlier roadwork, combined with Hurricane Dorian evacuees returning home, kept the interstate slow earlier in the day, but those delays have mostly dissipated, the Traffic Center reported.
Dry conditions, sunshine and heat dominate the forecast for North Georgia. This kind of weather is not typical for this time of year, according to Channel 2 Action News.
“Here we are headed toward fall, and we're talking about temperatures that are going to be in the mid- to some upper 90s,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “Some spots by Monday could be near 100 degrees.”
Metro Atlanta could expect to see those numbers in July or early August, but the average high for early September is 86 degrees. Low rain chances through early next week will not help the heat, Monahan said.
“We were so close to (Hurricane) Dorian, yet not a drop of rain from the storm,” he said.
The center of Dorian made landfall at 9 a.m. at Cape Hatteras in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has already produced tornadoes and flooding in North Carolina, but it has picked up some speed and is predicted to move away from the Eastern Seaboard later Friday.
North Georgia continues to benefit from the dry air on the western side of the system.
“Lots of dry air across North Georgia, so your Friday is going to be really sunny,” Monahan said.
Friday morning started slightly cooler than recent days, also thanks to the dry air from Dorian. Atlanta has since warmed to 94 degrees, which was the projected high for the day.
“Tomorrow, we'll add a few more clouds and maybe drop the temperature a little bit in a couple of spots,” Monahan said. “Not much, though. We’re still going to be in the 90s.”
It should be dry and sunny Saturday afternoon for the University of Georgia football home opener against Murray State. Temperatures in the mid-90s are forecast for the kickoff at 4 p.m.
“Way too hot for football,” Monahan said. “It should not be in the mid- to upper 90s this time of year, but that is where we're going to be.”
Georgia Tech police urged fans to drink lots of water before Saturday’s 2 p.m. game against South Florida at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
After last week’s huge upset of Tennessee on the road, Georgia State returns to Atlanta for its home opener against Furman. It will still be warm for the 7 p.m. kickoff.
Rain returns to the forecast Sunday with a 20% chance, but Monahan said he does not expect much rainfall. Showers and storms are a little more likely early next week, according to the latest forecast.
“Monday is going to be the hottest day of the next five,” Monahan said. “Some spots near 100 — that’s right, 100 degrees in September — early next week.”
» 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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