Showers continue to fall in the mountains and on the Northside as a cold front makes its way south Friday.
The rain is light, and it won’t last all day, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. Through lunchtime, Monahan said to expect some impacts to travel on the wet pavement.
The best chances of rain remain north of the city.
“We're still ahead of the front in Atlanta,” he said. “That’s going to mean a warm afternoon today.”
The city started Friday warm in the mid-to upper 60s. That is way above the average high of 53 degrees for this time of year, Monahan said.
Temperatures are headed for a projected high of 71 degrees later this afternoon. The warmer weather is a trend that will continue, Monahan said.
“If you’ve liked the warmth we’ve had this week, you’re going to like the forecast for the most part over the next week to 10 days,” he said.
With the elevated temperatures, pollen counts are rising. A relatively dry Thursday afternoon gave Atlanta a big bump in tree pollen, which was recorded at 423 particles per cubic meter of air and is considered high.
Trees like pine, oak, hackberry, juniper and sycamore are the top contributors, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma, an organization that tracks the daily pollen count.
For Friday afternoon, an isolated thunderstorm is possible. The opportunity for showers and storms increases south of Atlanta after lunch, according to Channel 2.
“Overall, though, the rain chances are scattered through the afternoon,” Monahan said. “And we're also going to scatter in some sunshine, as well.”
It should be cloudy with a few sprinkles and showers for any Friday evening plans in the city, he said. The clouds stick around for Saturday morning, but rain chances come down from 60% Friday to 30% Saturday, according to Channel 2.
Monahan said a warm front lifting through the state Saturday afternoon will bring an isolated shower.
“Tomorrow is going to be your best day,” he said. “If you've got anything to do outside during the day, you'll want to do it on Saturday, as we've got some more rain coming in by Sunday.”
A 60% chance of rain returns to the forecast Sunday as temperatures come down. By Monday, Atlanta should be back to the mid-50s, according to Channel 2.
With several school districts closed due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak and many businesses instructing employees to work from home, fewer drivers are hitting the roads Friday.
Traffic conditions on the interstates have been lighter than normal all morning, with the exception of the southwest Perimeter.
A rolling roadblock is blocking the I-285 outer loop at I-85, and there are tough delays, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Drivers headed to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport should use the Downtown Connector instead, the Traffic Center reported.
» 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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