Dry skies, cool temperatures and tens of thousands of athletes racing through Atlanta’s streets will be the story of this weekend.
Atlanta will host marathons today and Sunday, meaning travel near the center of the city will be tough until the evening, WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reporter Mark Arum said. Atlanta police expect more than 160,000 visitors in the city this weekend, so it should be a crowded one.
Several surface streets, including Peachtree Street, Marietta Street, Andrew Young International Boulevard and a few interstate ramps, will be closed for much of today for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon.
“You are warned to avoid those streets through Midtown and downtown Atlanta,” Arum said. “If you have to get to Midtown or downtown, I want you to use MARTA or maybe a rideshare like Uber or Lyft.”
Racers will have to brace for chilly temperatures, but one thing they won’t have to deal with is any winter precipitation.
That can’t be said for the North Georgia mountains, got light dusting of snow overnight, according to Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns.
However, most people didn’t see it, since the dusting is occurred midnight and 5 a.m., he said.
A few roads, especially at higher elevations, may be a little slick this morning, so he advised drivers to be cautious.
After a cool start, Atlanta will warm to a high of 52 degrees. That’s nearly 10 degrees cooler than average for this time of year, so runners should prepare accordingly.
Burns also said winds will pick up Saturday, topping out near 30 mph, which will only make it feel cooler outside.
The congestion downtown will continue after the marathon, with several other big events coming to Atlanta.
At 4:30 p.m., the Monster Energy AMA Supercross will kick up plenty of dust inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The 38th annual Atlanta International Auto Show will also continue at the Georgia World Congress Center through Sunday, and the Hawks will host the Portland Trail Blazers at State Farm Arena tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday will play out pretty much the same, with another marathon on tap.
The Publix Atlanta Marathon beginsat 7 a.m. at Centennial Olympic Park and will also close many well-traveled roads throughout the city.
On the bright side, temperatures will warm to seasonal norms and a projected high of 60 degrees Sunday, Burns said. There shouldn’t be a drop of rain in the city throughout the weekend, but wet weather will return to kick off the work week, he warned.
There’s a 70% chance of rain on Monday and Tuesday and a 60% chance on Wednesday, according to the latest forecast.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
» 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.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
About the Author
