WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Wrecks pile up, put damper on evening commute

Thursday’s evening commute is moving at a crawl.

At 5:30 p.m., the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center map had nearly the entire Northside, Downtown Connector and even a section of the southern Perimeter colored red — which isn't a good thing.

In north Fulton County, two left lanes of Ga. 400 North are blocked by a wreck near Windward Parkway, according to the Traffic Center.

In neighboring Sandy Springs, two left lanes of the Perimeter’s inner loop are blocked by a crash before Roswell Road, jamming traffic back into Dunwoody, according to the Traffic Center.

In DeKalb County, the ramp from I-85 South to I-285 South was blocked briefly by a stalled tractor-trailer, which has gridlocked both interstates, the Traffic Center reported.

In Atlanta, a left lane of I-75 North is blocked by a crash near Northside Drive, the Traffic Center reported. A crash on the Downtown Connector near 10th Street also has a southbound lane blocked.

Earlier Thursday, a natural gas line was hit near the intersection of Flat Shoals Road and Cloverdale Drive, which caused businesses and a nearby day care to be evacuated, Atlanta Fire Rescue Sgt. Cortez Stafford told AJC.com. Float Shoals Road was blocked until the leak was capped.

Atlanta is hovering in the low 80s, and coupled with humidity at 41%, it’s muggy across North Georgia.

Unlike Wednesday, however, afternoon showers and storms are sticking a little farther to the west. Most of North Georgia should stay dry Thursday as a result, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

“For most of us, it is going to be a dry day today,” he said. “Another warm one, too. It’s another June-like kind of afternoon.”

An isolated shower is possible, mainly in the northwest corner of the state.

“(Wednesday) we had the rain and storms pop up right over the Westside of the metro,” Monahan said. “Today we're going to move that rain about 100 miles farther west. I expect most of us to stay mainly dry and warm.”

Tree pollen was in the high range again, but grass pollen levels came down. The count was 139 particles per cubic meter of air, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma, the organization that tracks the daily pollen count.

Rain moving in Friday could bring some relief.

“There’s going to be some changes in the rain pattern,” Monahan said. “Warm and humid to start, then as a cold front approaches, we'll see some more scattered showers and storms.”

The change is associated with a system of heavy rain and severe storms over the middle part of the country, Monahan said. Showers and storms are 40 percent likely Friday, but severe weather is not in the forecast, according to Channel 2.

By Saturday, Monahan said there’s a 60 percent chance of more widespread scattered showers and storms. Sunday’s rain chance is 40 percent, and temps are expected to drop a few degrees. Weekend highs are in the low 80s, according to the latest forecast.

» 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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