For the waterlogged and weary, the wet weather Monday is not a portent for things to come this week.
While it’s true the showers Monday will be fairly constant, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said the outlook for the rest of the week is much different.
“The rain is not going to stick around,” he said. “This is not an all-week cloudy week, all-week rainy week. It’s also not an all-week mild week.”
Cold weather is moving in Thursday, and Monahan said snow showers are possible in the coming days.
On Monday, temperatures in the 40s are chilly but not cold enough for frozen precipitation. The showers falling for the morning commute are widespread but light across metro Atlanta, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Through lunchtime, showers should stay pretty light, Monahan said. The rain could still have the potential to cause traffic problems Monday.
“It helps pull up some of that oil, and everything on the roads gets real slippery when it first starts to rain,” he said.
If the rain feels relentless this February, it’s because North Georgia has seen more wet days than dry ones this month. In fact, since December, nearly 60 percent of days this winter have recorded above-average rainfall, according to Channel 2.
Monahan said Atlanta is about 3 inches away from the record for all-time wettest February, and there’s still six days to go.
“With the showers, with the clouds around, temperatures are on the cooler side today,” he said.
Atlanta will get stuck in the upper 40s for much of the day before finally making it to a projected high of 52 degrees, according to Channel 2. Tuesday is forecast to be much warmer on the other side of a warm front.
That front will help fuel stronger downpours late Monday night, Monahan said. The heavier rain is expected to move in for the second half of the evening commute.
“If you've got plans after work tonight, plan on downpours, even a few thunderstorms,” Monahan said. “Late tonight, likely to have some of that standing water on the road from more heavy rain falling across North Georgia.”
Most of the rain should be gone Tuesday, he said, with just some light showers around for the morning commute. Sunshine returns Tuesday afternoon, and temperatures are forecast to rise into the upper 60s.
“A big plunge in temperature is coming for the middle and end of the week,” Monahan said. “February ends cold. March starts cold, and we could even have a few snow showers mixed in.”
The snow should hold off until Saturday, when there is a 30% chance of precipitation, according to Channel 2. After Tuesday morning, the rest of the work week should be pretty dry.
Wet pavement Monday morning could slow down the drive into work and school, but there are no major delays in metro Atlanta at 6 a.m., according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
In fact, conditions on the Southside have improved since early Monday. A wrecked tractor-trailer that spilled fuel onto the I-285 East ramp to I-75 South has been cleaned up, the Traffic Center reported.
The ramp is back open and there are no big backups remaining.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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