WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Temps plummet more than 30 degrees for chilly start

Here's Meteorologist Brian Monahan with your forecast.

Remember Thursday, when metro Atlanta woke up to 70-degree weather and stormy skies?

That’s all in the past. It is dry, and the temperature Friday morning may be a shock to the system, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

Temperatures are more than 30 degrees lower Friday than just 24 hours ago. The day is starting in the upper 30s in metro Atlanta, but it feels more like the 20s outside, according to Channel 2.

Numbers could fall even further before sunrise.

“You haven't had to wear the hat, the gloves, the scarf, the warm weather gear for a while,” Monahan said. “This morning, kids are going to need it. It’s going to be chilly.”

He said temperatures will be slow to rise Friday despite lots of sunshine in the forecast. Wind chills should remain in the 30s through midmorning and reach the 40s by lunchtime. The actual temperature at noon is likely to be somewhere in the mid-40s, according to Channel 2.

“We're going to have a wind that’s going to be about 15 mph at times this morning,” Monahan said. “That’s the kind of wind that drags the temperature down a good 5 to 10 degrees.”

Highs should come close to 50 degrees later in the afternoon, he said.

Sunshine will take North Georgia through the afternoon and into Saturday, which Monahan said will be the best day for outdoor plans. With dry conditions, metro Atlanta will be in the mid-50s for highs, according to the latest forecast.

“Saturday night is still looking good if you've got plans ... but Sunday we're going to start to see some light showers moving in,” Monahan said.

Clouds will start to fill in early Sunday morning from Atlanta southward, and a few light  showers are possible, he said. The farther you live from I-20, Monahan said the better your chance for seeing some rain.

More rain for all of North Georgia is in the forecast for next week. After a couple of dry days, Monahan said the wet weather comes back on Tuesday with a 70% chance of storms.

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Some early Friday commuters were stuck in backups on the Southside for hours, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

A tractor-trailer caught fire on I-675, shutting down the southbound lanes of the interstate before Ga. 42. All lanes reopened about 7:30 a.m.

MORE: I-675 shut down for more than 2 hours after tractor-trailer fire

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

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