ATLANTA FORECAST
Thursday: High: 89
Thursday night: Low: 71
Friday: High: 87
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
[5:30 p.m.]: A downed tree has blocked two lanes of I-20 near County Line Road in Douglas County, Channel 2 confirmed.
[5:08 p.m.]: The Federal Aviation Administration reported that Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is experiencing arrival delays of more than 100 minutes, and departures are delayed between 30 and 45 minutes.
[5:07 p.m.]: A downed tree is blocking all lanes on Puckett Creek Road off Ga. 140 in Cherokee County, Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz said in a tweet.
[5:01 p.m.]: The severe thunderstorm warning for Fulton, Cobb and Douglas counties has expired, the NWS said.
[4:58 p.m.]: Several downed trees and power lines have been reported in Douglas County, Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
[4:41 p.m.]:
Pleasant Hill Road has reopened after a gas leak previously shut down all lanes between Satellite Boulevard and Breckinridge Boulevard, the Traffic Center confirmed.
[4:39 p.m.]: A tree has fallen on power lines near Oleander Drive and Five Forks Trickum Road in Gwinnett County, Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
[4:26 p.m.]: Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for Fulton, Cobb and Douglas counties until 5 p.m., the NWS said.
[4:25 p.m.]: Traffic lights are out on Spring Street between 10th Street and 5th Street in Midtown, the Traffic Center reported. All intersections act as four-way stops until they're fixed.
[4:23 p.m.]: The gas leak on Pleasant Hill Road has been capped, the Gwinnett Fire Department told Channel 2 Action News. The road should reopen soon.
[4:08 p.m.]:
A downed tree that hit vehicles on I-285 near Flat Shoals Road has been cleared, but huge delays are left in its wake, the Traffic Center reported. Delays stretch to I-20.
[4 p.m.]: Rockdale County's severe thunderstorm warning has expired, the NWS said.
[3:58 p.m.]: The severe thunderstorm warnings for DeKalb and Henry counties were canceled a few minutes early by the NWS.
UPDATE [3:37 p.m.]: A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for DeKalb, Rockdale and Henry counties until 4 p.m. by the National Weather Service.
ORIGINAL STORY: Outside of a few problem spots, traffic remains moving in metro Atlanta, but drivers may be dodging isolated showers all afternoon.
A crash on I-75 South before Delk Road in Cobb County is now cleared, but there are heavy delays to Canton Road, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported. In Fulton County, a wreck on I-20 westbound at Windsor Street blocks the center lane and is causing delays on I-20 and the Downtown Connector.
A gas leak on Pleasant Hill Road has closed all lanes between Satellite Boulevard and Breckinridge Boulevard, the Traffic Center reported.
A strong complex of storms is headed for metro Atlanta, which could make Thursday the rainiest day this week. Most of the activity will fire up after 3 p.m., according to Channel 2 Action News.
The complex is expected to mix with a front left over from Wednesday’s storms that is stalled over Georgia.
“That boundary is going to help interact with the moisture that we have in place,” Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said. “Lots of humidity today, and we’re going to see some heavy rain.”
The Southside saw just a few storms Wednesday, but the system won’t spare those south of I-20 Thursday, according to Channel 2. Today’s showers and storms should be concentrated there.
The storms aren’t expected to be too severe. According to the latest forecast, lightning is still a possibility, as well as small hail.
“Slow-moving storms will be part of the day, and that could slow you down on the roads,” Minton said.
The cloud cover is expected to lower temperatures by a few degrees as the week goes on, and the predicted high is 89 degrees Thursday. However, all the humidity should bump the heat index into the mid-90s, according to Channel 2.
The chance of rain is 70 percent Thursday, and Friday has a slightly lower 60 percent chance before the moisture starts to taper off.
“We’re looking forward to a break from all this, but it won’t happen just yet,” Minton said. “It looks pretty likely again for (Friday).”
For the weekend, Minton said Sunday should be the driest day with just a 30 percent chance of scattered afternoon storms.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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