WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Temps back to seasonal norms as traffic in Cobb, Henry stays slow

ATLANTA FORECAST

Friday: High: 54

Friday night: Low: 34

Saturday: High: 52

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

The brief 80-plus-degree stint Thursday was just that — brief.

Temperatures plummeted back to Earth on Friday, and Atlanta is hovering in the mid-50s this afternoon, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Overnight, it should drop near freezing, which is why Atlanta will open a warming center at 10 p.m. at the Old Adamsville Recreation Center at 3404 Delmar Lane, according to the city.

Traffic is picking up Friday afternoon, with the worst issues are in Cobb and Henry counties.

Two left lanes of I-75 North in Henry are blocked near Jodeco Road after a crash, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

Two left lanes of the inner loop in Cobb County are blocked just before South Atlanta Road because of a wreck, according to the Traffic Center.

Construction on I-575 South also slowed traffic before I-75 in Cobb, according to the Traffic Center. One right lane was blocked at Barrett Parkway.

Also in Cobb, South Marietta Parkway is still shut down after an early morning deadly pedestrian accident. Drivers are urged to avoid the road just west of Powers Ferry Road, where an investigation has closed all but one westbound lane approaching I-75.

MORE: Pedestrian hit twice, killed while crossing busy Marietta road

A cold front that moved through North Georgia on Friday morning was responsible for the shift in the weather and a 60 percent chance of spotty morning showers, Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said. The afternoon should be mainly dry, according to Channel 2.

Thursday was the earliest Atlanta has ever hit 80 degrees. Temperatures will be a little closer to average Friday with highs in the 50s.

By 11 p.m., North Georgia could be back in the 30s, Minton said. It is, after all, the second week of February.

Wind is also coming up behind the cold front, Minton said. Gusts could kick up to 15 to 20 mph before tapering off late in the afternoon. Some spots could see 25-mph gusts.

“Kind of a breezy, windy day for us,” she said.

With all the warmer temperatures this week, the pollen count is rising. The count increased to 736 particles of pollen per cubic meter of air in the past 24 hours. In 2018, Atlanta did not see counts that high until late March, Minton said.

Sunday looks to be the coldest day of the weekend, with a high of 46 degrees and a chance of some afternoon showers. Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan does not expect the below-average temperatures to last.