Rain chances are elevated Thursday, but Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said it will not be a wet day.
There will still be plenty of hours of sunshine between scattered showers and storms, he said. Most of the rain activity is not expected until Thursday afternoon.
“A lot of the day is going to be dry,” Monahan said. “That's the important thing to know. Yes, there is rain in the forecast, but this is not an all-day rain.”
The rain chance is sitting at 40% Thursday, according to Channel 2. Friday and Saturday also have 40% chances of scattered showers and storms.
“We're in that summertime storm pattern,” Monahan said.
Along with the typical summertime storms comes rising heat and humidity. While Thursday’s projected high is 87 degrees for metro Atlanta, Monahan said it will feel even hotter outside with all the moisture in the air.
All of North Georgia will need to watch out for showers and storms to develop Thursday afternoon, he said, and there could be some lingering storms late into the evening in the mountains.
Some light showers could also stick around overnight and into early Friday morning, according to Channel 2.
“Most of this, though, is going to be really hit-and-miss stuff, so not everybody is going to see the rain,” Monahan said. “Generally, a half-inch of rain or less between now and Saturday.”
A tropical storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico could mean more rain next week. Monahan said Tropical Storm Cristobal is not expected to impact Georgia’s weather this weekend, as storms in the forecast are unrelated to the tropical moisture.
Cristobal is stalled in the central Gulf on Thursday morning, but forecasters predict it will start moving quicker as it heads north toward the Gulf Coast.
“By the second half of the weekend, it is bringing impacts to the Gulf Coast,” Monahan said. “But for us, just some isolated, scattered storms over the weekend here in North Georgia. Next week we could get some tropical rain.”
In fact, Sunday looks to be the driest day of the weekend with a slight 20% chance of rain, according to Channel 2.
While there have been some early incidents on metro Atlanta interstates, there are no early delays Thursday, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
All major interstates are still moving smoothly at 6 a.m., the Traffic Center reported.
“A couple of minor hiccups, but overall lighter than normal,” traffic reporter Mark Arum said.
» 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
