WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Rain enters Atlanta, adds to congested evening commute

ATLANTA FORECAST 

Thursday: High: 92

Thursday night: Low: 73

Friday: High: 88

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

A few showers have begun to pop up in Atlanta, and they should only add to congested metro interstates during the evening commute.

In Cobb County, construction on the I-285 Inner Loop is causing some delays at Atlanta Road, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

Workers are reflected in the 35-foot mirrored soccer ball sculpture on the north plaza of Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday, where construction continues on the 11-acre greenspace that will be used for tailgating and parking on game days. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

In DeKalb County, an earlier accident blocked three lanes of I-85 North near I-285, and even though it’s been cleared, delays are still heavy, according to the Traffic Center.

In downtown Atlanta, a few roads near the old Norfolk Southern Railway Building on Ted Turner Drive at Mitchell Street are closed after the building caught on fire, prompting Atlanta Fire Rescue to respond.

RELATED: Fire at downtown Atlanta building under renovation

Atlanta police said Mitchell Street at Ted Turner Drive, Forsyth Street at Nelson Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at Ted Turner Drive, and Ted Turner Drive at Trinity Avenue are closed due to the fire.

Metro Atlanta weather is also a bit of a mixed bag. Most of North Georgia won’t get wet Thursday, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be totally dry.

“The gulf is open for business” and moisture has returned, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said. Dew points are on the rise in metro Atlanta, making for a hot and sticky Thursday. The heat index is in the mid-90s.

“The dry air we enjoyed for so many days? It’s gone,” she said. “It's being pushed out. Moisture is coming up. Southerly winds are going to keep us in that very moist atmosphere, setting the stage for showers and storms.”

There is a 20 percent chance of an isolated shower or storm this afternoon.

“Most of us are going to stay dry, and we'll really see the change and the increase starting (Friday),” Minton said.

Showers and storms are very likely Friday and for the next several days after that, according to Channel 2.

The chance of rain goes up to 60 percent Friday and for the weekend, and the temperature should dip into the mid-80s by Saturday and Sunday. Thursday’s predicted high was 92 degrees for Atlanta.

Friday morning shouldn’t see much activity, Minton said, but Atlanta should settle in for a dousing Friday afternoon.

“As we get into the afternoon, we will see these lines of showers and storms coming in with the possibility that one or two could go rogue and give us those isolated severe storms,” she said.

North Georgia and the northern Atlanta suburbs are most at risk of severe weather Friday, according to Channel 2. Damaging winds are the primary threat.

According to Minton, most of metro Atlanta can expect one-half inch to 2.5 inches of rain through Tuesday morning. The North Georgia mountains might get more than that.

While Thursday’s Braves game against the Colorado Rockies at 7:35 p.m. at SunTrust Park should be safe from rain delays, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday home games may be affected. Cobb County traffic will definitely experience a bump before and after all of those games.