Atlanta misses 60 degrees as evening commute winds down

ATLANTA FORECAST

Monday: High: 60

Monday night: Low: 36

Tuesday: High: 60

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

Metro Atlanta nearly hit 60 degrees Monday, falling one degree short. All the while, the evening commute came and went, leaving only a few slow spots in its wake.

A crash in Cobb County has blocked a southbound left lane of I-75 near I-285, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

Aside from that, nearly every interstate has recovered from a fairly breezy evening commute that saw few notable wrecks.

Surface streets were hit harder Monday afternoon, but most wrecks have been cleared, allowing for smooth driving. However, in what’s become a usual thing, Concord Road near the East-West Connector was closed for about 20 minutes after a U-Haul hit the covered bridge, the county said in a Facebook post.

MORE: Cobb's covered bridge unscathed after U-Haul truck hits metal beam

The start of spring may be just two days away, but North Georgia has a few more chilly mornings to get through.

Temperatures dipped into the 40s in metro Atlanta on Monday morning, and it was freezing in the northeast Georgia mountains. Despite the cooler start, sunshine warmed up North Georgia considerably, according to Channel 2.

“Under a mostly sunny sky, we’ll reach the upper 50s and low 60s each afternoon the next couple of days,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “Lows will drop into the 20s and 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.”

Monahan said the trend of cooler mornings, mild afternoons and dry conditions should continue for a few days. The chance of rain does not return to the forecast until the end of the week.

“After the first dry weekend across north Georgia in nearly two months, we’re set up for a dry start to the work week,” he said.

It will feel more like winter than spring, which officially begins at 5:58 p.m. Wednesday.

“The growing season has begun and, while there’s not a freeze warning yet, I expect there will be a freeze warning issued for at least part of our area tonight,” Monahan said.

The only opportunity for a shower during the work week will be Thursday, he said, which carries a 20 percent chance. Rain is expected to return for the second half of the weekend, although it will be warmer with afternoon highs in the 70s, according to the latest forecast.