WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: College football affects Midtown travel on hot, sunny afternoon

Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist Katie Walls breaks down your Labor Day forecast.

ATLANTA FORECAST 

Saturday: High: 90

Saturday night: Low: 72

Sunday: High: 89

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

The holiday weekend has started busy as tens of thousands of people flood to Dragon Con, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and other Midtown events.

International Boulevard between Peachtree Center Avenue and Peachtree Street is closed for the Dragon Con Parade, which allowed costumed fans to fill the streets.

MORE: Dragon Con 2018: from Stranger Things to Y'allywood

Those wanting to take I-20 West in DeKalb County didn't have a fun afternoon though. A wreck involving two tractor-trailers previously shut down all westbound lanes, but it was cleared around 4 p.m., according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

RELATED: I-20 West reopens after 2 tractor-trailers wreck in DeKalb County

This niche little sport also returns Saturday — college football. The game between Georgia Tech and Alcorn State began at 12:30 p.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium. In Athens, UGA plays Austin Peay at 3:30 p.m. at Sanford Stadium.

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game between Auburn and Washington will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 3:30 p.m. All those games should increase traffic nearby.

MORE: Here's a guide to five busy days in Georgia sports

SunTrust Park should also attract a crowd Saturday at 7:10 p.m. for the Braves game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Decatur Book Festival began Friday and the Pure Heat Community Festival is scheduled for Saturday in Piedmont Park to celebrate Black Pride. LudaDay Weekend — created by rapper-turned-humanitarian Ludacris — is also among the events scheduled for Labor Day weekend.

MORE: 430 authors to descend on Decatur for annual book fest

The holiday weekend is off to a sunny and hot start, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls said. Temperatures are currently in the mid 80s, but they should swell to a predicted high of 90 degrees this afternoon. Rain chances remain at a low 20 percent for the long weekend.

While the chance of rain affecting your Saturday and Labor Day plans are slim, heavy traffic most likely will hinder schedules. On Labor Day, Atlanta police are expecting crowds of 700,000 in the city alone.

RELATED: Atlanta police expect crowds of at least 700K people over Labor Day weekend

However, those 700,000 people should be mostly dry as the chance of rain is a mere 20 percent Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Channel 2 Action News Chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.

“We could see one or two isolated showers pop up,” Burns said. “But rain chances remain meager over the next five days.”

To accommodate the crowds, MARTA officials said the transit agency will enhance service from Saturday through Monday. Weekend rail and bus service will be provided all three days, adding extra trains and buses as needed. Both the Red and Gold lines will run to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport until the end of service, officials said.

» For a closer look at the weekend outlook and things to do in your area:  AtlantaCobbDeKalbGwinnett | North Fulton

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

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