WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Congestion builds on roads during hot, steamy afternoon

ATLANTA FORECAST 

Friday: High: 90

Friday night: Low: 73

Saturday: High: 88

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

Temperatures and traffic have begun ramping up in tandem this afternoon.

In Atlanta, the temperature has reached 92 degrees, which is 2 degrees hotter than the predicted high. The heat index is higher, reading a sweltering 96 degrees.

Hopefully your car has air conditioning, because traffic has already begun to build across most of metro Atlanta's major interstates, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

In DeKalb County, a wreck on I-285 North at Lavista Road is blocking one lane, causing heavy delays, the Traffic Center reported.

Construction at the Cobb Cloverleaf and a blocked I-285 South lane near Cobb Parkway are both causing delays, according to the Traffic Center.

A slim chance of isolated afternoon showers has been in the forecast the entire week for metro Atlanta, and Friday will see more of the same. Sticky, hot conditions may persist by the time high school football teams hit fields across North Georgia.

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“Like the last couple of days, an isolated downpour cannot be ruled out,” Channel 2 meteorologist Katie Walls said. “I do have those rain chances running at just 20 percent, and by the time we hit that 8 p.m. hour, those showers (are) winding down. They'll lose their energy with that daytime heating fading away.”

That streak is thanks to a ridge of high pressure holding back moisture, she said, even as the Mississippi River valley and the Midwest are soaked by what’s left of Tropical Depression Gordon.

“The remnants of Gordon (are) combining with a stationary front, producing torrential amounts of rainfall across the Midwest,” Walls said. “Flood watches, flood warnings already in effect for our friends in that part of the country. For us, this ridge of high pressure is keeping us mainly dry today into (Saturday).”

Rain chances are expected to rise as the ridge of pressure breaks down. Channel 2 is also tracking the progress of Florence in the Atlantic Ocean, which has now been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. The storm is expected to restrengthen early next week, but Walls said it’s too soon to tell if it will make landfall in the U.S.

Starting Friday night, drivers will have to contend with an increase in construction efforts, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

In Gwinnett County, one northbound lane of I-85 from Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road to I-985 will be closed for roadwork from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 p.m. Sunday, GDOT said.

One lane of I-985 from I-85 to Woodward Mill Road will also be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday, GDOT said.

By Sunday, there’s a 40 percent chance of rain, which will jump to 60 percent Monday and Tuesday.

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.