WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Showers enter northwest metro as evening commute continues

ATLANTA FORECAST

Friday: High: 67

Friday night: Low: 51

Saturday: High: 62

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

Most of Atlanta remains dry, but a wave of light showers is moving in from the west toward Cobb and Cherokee counties and the rest of the northwest metro area, Channel 2 Action News reported.

At the same time, the evening commute is continuing, and luckily there aren't too many bad wrecks on the dry roads, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Most of the construction earlier today has also ceased.

The worst delays are in Douglas County on I-20 West, where a crash near Liberty Road has been moved to the left shoulder, causing heavy delays, according to the Traffic Center.

A right lane of I-75 South near Jonesboro Road in Henry County is also blocked by a crash, the Traffic Center reported.

Police activity has also blocked a right lane of I-285 East near Powers Ferry Road in Cobb County, and delays are building, the Traffic Center reported.

Metro Atlanta will get a chance to set aside the hats and gloves for a few days, but you’ll want to keep an umbrella handy, Channel 2 meteorologist Katie Walls said.

Temperatures increased into the low 70s — higher than the predicted high of 67 — earlier this afternoon after a much warmer start Friday, about 15 to 30 degrees warmer than it was Thursday morning. It’s now 65 degrees.

It was 32 degrees at 5 a.m. Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, but metro Atlanta woke up Friday to temperatures in the mid-50s Friday.

North Georgia is running well above the average low of 40 degrees for this time of year.

“So we went from below average to above average in the course of just 24 hours,” Walls said.

The next weather system is fast approaching and is set to bring widespread rain into North Georgia over the weekend.

A breeze from the south will continue to pump moisture from the Gulf into the northern part of the state overnight, bringing in more warm air and more rain, Walls said.

North Georgia could see widespread showers from the morning into the afternoon Saturday. Walls said there is a potential for strong storms beginning around 4 p.m., just in time for kickoff in the Georgia-Alabama SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“This is when I think some of those thunderstorms could begin to develop and embed themselves within the rain,” Walls said.  “Generally late afternoon into the evening and overnight, that’s when I am tracking the potential for some of those stronger storms.”

The chance of rain Saturday is 80 percent at 2 p.m. in Atlanta during peak tailgating time, and that chance holds through kickoff, according to Channel 2. By 6 p.m., the rain chance falls back to 60 percent.

Overall, Walls said there is a 90 percent chance North Georgia will get wet Saturday.

Several holiday celebrations planned for Saturday have been canceled or rescheduled ahead of the expected washout, but the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Christmas Parade will still make its way through Midtown on Saturday, rain or shine, according to Channel 2. The parade is set to begin at 10:20 a.m.

By Sunday, the rain chance drops to 30 percent and the predicted high is 72 degrees, according to the latest forecast.