Good walking weather ahead of severe storm risk

Tomorrow: More storms, then sunny. High: 74

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

Try to spend some time outside before it gets dark.

The weather is dry and warm this afternoon, but North Georgia faces a risk of severe storms late Thursday, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Stray showers will begin by about 7 p.m., and the risk of hail, damaging wind and even a tornado will start after midnight.

The stormy weather is expected to hit metro Atlanta by 2 a.m., Channel 2 reported.

“In the meantime, we’re going to continue to warm up and be generally dry during the daylight hours as temperatures get up into the 80s,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz said.

Current temperatures are 78 degrees in Atlanta, 70 in Blairsville and 79 in Griffin.

Highs are expected to reach 83 degrees in Atlanta, getting close to the record high for this day. That record is 84, set in 1938, according to the National Weather Service.

The warm weather means pollen is again in the “extremely high” range. There are 2,924 particles per cubic meter of air, up from 2,204 on Wednesday, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma.

The pollen count hasn’t been this close to 3,000 since March 29, 2016, when it reached a season high of 4,107.

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