Atlanta is hovering in the low 90s after hitting the expected high of 93 degrees. Thankfully, traffic is already starting to quell from a terrible early afternoon.
That doesn't mean roads are moving quickly, though. There are still some major problems as wrecks and holiday travel plans continue to butt heads, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
A car fire has all lanes of the southbound Downtown Connector blocked after Ga. 166, according to the Traffic Center.
All I-20 East lanes were briefly blocked past Fulton Industrial Boulevard to clear a crash, according to the Traffic Center. That created delays back past Thornton Road.
The trip south has been a rough one along I-75 in Henry County, where bumper-to-bumper traffic was 16 miles long just before 5 p.m., according to the Traffic Center. Construction that is reducing the interstate to two lanes at High Falls Park Road isn’t helping matters.
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Authorities advised motorists to avoid Ga. 369 in Cherokee County after a tractor-trailer overturned, spilling its load — chicken guts. The road reopened about 6:30 p.m., but it likely will take several hours to clean up the area.
Security wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are coming down after a hectic morning rush. At one point, the line for the main checkpoint snaked through the terminal and into baggage claim.
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Waits were as long as 30-45 minutes at the South security checkpoint early Friday, according to the airport’s wait time estimates. Waits have been less than 15 minutes during the afternoon.
Friday is now the hottest day so far of 2019. Feel like you’ve heard that before? Every day this week has exceeded top temperatures, and Friday hasn’t been any different, according to Channel 2 Action News.
“It is a hot day ... and even hotter temperatures are in the forecast,” Channel 2 meteorologist Katie Walls said. “We're talking about record-setting heat through the weekend, even into your Monday and Tuesday.”
Saturday and Sunday will also be the hottest days of the year, she said. Memorial Day on Monday will be, too. By then, high temps are expected to climb into the mid- to upper 90s, according to the latest forecast.
MORE: Sweltering, potentially record-setting Memorial Day weekend on tap
Metro Atlanta is muggy but mostly rain-free Friday. A few spotty showers fell in northwest Georgia before sunrise, and a few more popped up in the northeast at lunchtime, but it’s dry at 5:30 p.m.
Friday carries a 10 percent chance of rain, according to Channel 2. Walls said you won’t need any rain gear for your Friday night plans, but it will be warm.
While rain chances are pretty close to nil across North Georgia and the Southeast this weekend, the middle part of the country is at risk of severe weather. Walls said those traveling to the upper Midwest and through the Plains ahead of the holiday weekend will want to keep the storm risk in mind.
“I know a lot of folks are traveling today, so just wanted to give you a heads up,” she said.
In North Georgia, the weekend will just be a hot one. Monday’s high is a projected 96, just 1 degree below the hottest Atlanta has ever been in May. The city has not seen that kind of heat since 1941, according to Channel 2.
» 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.
