WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Thunderstorm warnings expire for south metro counties

ATLANTA FORECAST  

Friday: High: 90

Friday night: Low: 71

Saturday: High:  90

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

Severe thunderstorm warnings issued by the National Weather Service have expired in Fulton, Clayton and Fayette counties.

The areas affected experienced hail, strong winds and intense lighting, according to Channel 2 Action News. No damage has been reported.

The storms haven't done any favors for traffic across metro Atlanta. There are brake lights on the Downtown Connector and sections of the Perimeter due to wrecks and the remnants of the evening commute, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

Storms are expected to continue until the sun goes down, Channel 2 Chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.

It’s now in the upper 80s, but with the heat index, it feels like it’s 92 degrees, according to Channel 2.

“If you factor the humidity in, it's steamy out there,” Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said.

Those temps may drop a few degrees with the onset of those isolated evening storms. The same low pressure system that sent rain into the metro area Thursday is still sitting over southern Alabama, Minton said.

Afternoon storms are expected for the rest of June, so Burns said to get used to them. They’re powered by high afternoon temperatures.

Atlanta rowing club members Sherry vom Saal (left) and Frank Torres get ready to head out on the Chattahoochee River amid clear skies Friday. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

"A lot of tropical air is covering a lot of northern Georgia,” Burns said. “That isn't going away anytime soon."

Saturday’s chance of rain stays steady at 30 percent, while Father’s Day and Monday get a slightly less rainy 20 percent chance.

This evening, the rain should dry up before the Braves take on the San Diego Padres at SunTrust Park. The first pitch is at 7:35 p.m. However, a sinkhole on the off-ramp from I-285 to southbound Cobb Parkway has closed two of the three right turn lanes, which should cause more traffic than usual, Cobb County police said.