If you can’t remember it ever being this cold for Thanksgiving in Atlanta, you’re right.
Thursday is on track to be the coldest turkey day since 1911, when the temperature sank to 21 degrees, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley. The average low temperature for Thanksgiving is 41 degrees. This year’s low is expected to dip to 24 degrees, he said.
“The good news is that there will be very little wind and the sun should warm us to the mid- to upper 40s,” Chandley said.
The sunshine will warm things up for Black Friday and the weekend, when high temperatures will reach the lower 50s. The weekend forecast is for weather much drier than earlier in the week, when a massive winter storm brought several inches of rain and a few snow flurries to the area.
Weather delays were reported Wednesday afternoon at some airports in the Northeast, but things were back on track at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
If you’re staying in town for the weekend, expect clogged roadways with numerous holiday events planned. More than 178,000 people are expected to visit downtown Atlanta, and law enforcement is prepared to handle the crowds, Atlanta police said Wednesday.
Early Thursday, the Atlanta Half Marathon will be run on Hank Aaron Drive and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard. The race is expected to last until 11 a.m. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., crowds are expected to begin gathering at Lenox Square Mall for the Macy’s Christmas tree lighting.
The Hawks host the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Philips Arena. And on Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs will face Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m.
Those driving to holiday events are advised to allow time for extra traffic, take MARTA or carpool.
The Georgia State Patrol also urges drivers to use caution during the holiday weekend. In 2012, law enforcement officers investigated 3,590 crashes statewide that resulted in 1,161 injuries and 21 fatalities.
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