Metro Atlanta has dried out after downpours moved through the area Thursday morning and made travel difficult for the ride into work.
There should be no weather-related issues for the ride home, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls. All showers associated with the early morning cold front are now well to the south.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“We’ll stay rain-free for the rest of the day,” Walls said. “Now, drier air is building in which will allow for a much cooler night.”
There is even a bit of sunshine. After a mild start in the 50s, Atlanta should make it to a high of 66 degrees in the afternoon, according to Channel 2.
“It’s still warm, not as warm though,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “Yesterday we almost set a record high. Our high temperature was 72. That’s one degree short of the record.”
Big changes are just a day away.
“I know you have not had to use that winter jacket for a while,” Monahan said. “Get it ready for tomorrow morning. It is going to be cold to start the day Friday.”
North Georgia is looking at a 20- to 30-degree drop in temperatures between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, when lows should be in the 30s for most, according to Channel 2. It will be breezy, Monahan said, so it could feel even colder outside.
While there will be more clouds around Friday, he said he is keeping the forecast dry, despite the possibility for some mist and drizzle.
“That chance is really low as we head through Friday, and temperatures are going to be much lower,” he said. “We're only going to be in the 40s and low 50s for highs tomorrow afternoon.”
Monahan said high temperatures will reach the 50s again Saturday, and more wet weather is coming in for the start of the weekend. Those changes are a minor adjustment compared to the shock in the system in store for next week.
Winter is returning, and the bottom will drop out, Monahan said. By Monday, temperatures in the 20s and 30s are in the forecast.
“I think by Tuesday morning, we are going to have some lows in the teens,” he said.
Without the wet pavement, metro Atlanta traffic is well-behaved at midday Thursday. There are no major delays on the interstates heading into the afternoon, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Surface streets are a different story. In DeKalb County, a gas leak has shut down the eastbound lanes of Scott Boulevard at DeKalb Industrial Way, and traffic is being diverted, the Traffic Center reported.
Drivers are advised to avoid the area.
Downtown traffic is moving smoothly, but that will not be the case Friday, when roadwork shuts down a busy street in Midtown.
Authorities plan to close 17th Street between State and West Peachtree streets until Monday, according to the Traffic Center. This will affect the ride around Atlantic Station.
» 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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