While some spotty showers have moved into metro Atlanta, that isn’t what is affecting DeKalb County traffic.
A gas leak shut down Memorial Drive between Rockbridge and Rays roads, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Traffic has begun to move on the road, but drivers are recommended to take Ponce de Leon Avenue as an alternate.
The good news is that’s the only major traffic roadblock ahead of the evening commute, which could end up being a little wet, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
While there was plenty of sunshine earlier in the afternoon, clouds have been thickening and rain is falling in the southeast Atlanta area, Channel 2 reported.
“By the ride home from work, especially on the Southside, there’s going to be some pockets of light rain, and that rain will continue to spread into North Georgia overnight,” Monahan said.
While the rain is spotty, the constant for all of North Georgia is cool temperatures.
Metro Atlanta was in the 20s and 30s Thursday morning, and they’ve risen only into the low 50s. Atlanta has hit 52, a degree warmer than projected, according to Channel 2.
The rain should stick around for the Friday morning commute. Monahan said the end of the work week “is going to be cold and it’s going to be wet.”
The rain chance jumps from 30% Thursday to 80% Friday, according to Channel 2. With all the clouds and showers around, metro Atlanta is not expected to get out of the 40s.
Those are not exactly ideal conditions to take in a football game. The high school state championships are Friday and Saturday at Georgia State Stadium.
“Slowly but surely as we head through the evening tonight, into Friday, into Saturday, we're going to add up the rain,” Monahan said.
East Georgia could see up to 2 inches of rainfall, he said, while metro Atlanta and areas to the west are likely to get less than an inch over the next few days.
Things are looking much drier for the second half of the weekend. After a few lingering showers Saturday morning, North Georgia will get a chance to dry out, Monahan said. Temperatures should get into the 60s Saturday with lots of sunshine.
» 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.
