ATLANTA FORECAST

Today: Sunny and windy. High: 80

Tonight: Mostly clear. Low: 62

Tomorrow: Sunny and cooler. High: 72

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

It’s warm and getting warmer. But that will soon change.

On the heels of an 84-degree high that unexpectedly broke a 1974 record Thursday, temperatures surpassed a forecast high of 78 degrees by 3:30 p.m. Friday and tied the record high of 80 set in 1946, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Temps were 68 degrees in Atlanta, 52 in Blairsville and 60 in Griffin just before 9:30 p.m.

Low humidity, dry grass and strong winds make conditions ripe for fires Friday. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)
icon to expand image

A Red Flag warning for high fire danger was in effect earlier Friday for North Georgia due to strong winds, dry soil, low moisture and low humidity forecast at about 25 to 30 percent.

Wind gusts reached 20 mph and even got up to 30 mph north of Atlanta, meteorologists said. That means any outdoor burning can lead to quick-spreading fires.

And dryness won’t end anytime soon, but record-breaking temps will. Highs are forecast to reach the low 70s Saturday and the mid-70s Sunday.

“Your five-day forecast shows gorgeous weather through the weekend, and we’ll have cool mornings and comfortable afternoons with sunshine into early next week,” meteorologist Brad Nitz said. “Of course, this is the weekend we fall back to standard time very early Sunday morning.”