UPDATE [4:30 p.m.]: As scattered severe storms move through the Atlanta area, reports of strong winds and hail are becoming common.
Pea-sized hail has been reported throughout Forsyth and Gwinnett counties, according to Channel 2 Action News.
At the moment, the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Newton, Rockdale and Walton counties. The warning is set to expire at 5 p.m.
ORIGINAL STORY: Widely scattered storms in the forecast Monday could make for another wet afternoon for North Georgia.
The storms are expected to favor the mountains in the northeast and the eastern suburbs of metro Atlanta, according to Channel 2 Action News. Like on Sunday, heavy rain, frequent lightning and hail are possible.
“Just like yesterday, the storms start north and drop south through the day,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
There is no rain to worry about Monday morning, but there could be some areas of fog after Sunday’s storms, he said. Most of North Georgia is starting the day cool in the 50s and 60s.
Typically, Monahan said lows are in the 70s this time of year. North Georgia will stay on the cooler side Monday with afternoon highs in the upper 70s, several degrees below the average of 87, according to Channel 2.
Much cooler air high in the atmosphere could make it possible for ice to form in some of the afternoon thunderstorms, Monahan said.
“Those hailstones are big enough that as they fall, they melt, but they are still big enough to reach the ground,” he said. “It can be 80 degrees near the ground, and, yes, you can still get ice in summertime.”
Monahan said he expects to see storm chances rapidly increase after 11 a.m. and storms to be widely scattered by 1 p.m. Areas to the west of metro Atlanta will not have as high a storm chance Monday, he said.
“Storms will settle down after sunset tonight, but another round of storms is coming for tomorrow,” he said.
Tuesday’s storms should be more isolated with a predicted 30% chance of development.
Rain in the forecast every day this week will keep temperatures low for late spring, according to Channel 2. Metro Atlanta should stay below 80 degrees through Tuesday before eventually warming up to a projected high of 87 by Friday.
“By the weekend, I think we'll have our first 90-degree high of the year,” Monahan said.
Most interstates are delay-free Monday morning with the exception of I-20 in Fulton County, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Cleanup continues after a tractor-trailer caught fire in the eastbound lanes at the I-285 interchange, the Traffic Center reported. The fire was under control quickly, but authorities remain on scene.
“Pretty big backups cooking in from the western suburbs,” traffic reporter Mark Arum said.
The trip was a slow 25 minutes from Fairburn Road to 285, the Traffic Center reported at 6 a.m. Drivers can use Veterans Memorial Highway as an alternate.
» 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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