Temperatures have dropped significantly Thursday on the other side of a cold front, and they could have further to fall in the coming days.
Just a few days ago, North Georgia was enjoying morning lows in the 60s. Temperatures slipped as much as 30 degrees since then, with some in the northeast Georgia mountains near freezing to start the day.
“It’s the first week of May, and we have temperatures in the 30s and 40s,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said Thursday morning. “It should not be this cold.”
Atlanta bottomed out at 45 degrees Thursday. It was the lowest May temperature since May 6, 2017, according to Channel 2.
Monahan said it will get even colder. Friday’s morning low is a projected 42 degrees, which would be the coolest May morning since 2004.
On Saturday, a freeze watch is scheduled to go into effect for some mountain counties. Metro Atlanta could wake up Saturday to temperatures in the low 40s.
The front that brought the cooler weather also brought gusty winds for much of Wednesday afternoon. Wind speeds of 45 mph were recorded in Atlanta, according to Channel 2.
The wind is gone, and Monahan said Thursday afternoon should be sunny and mild with highs near 70 degrees. It just may take a while to get there as temperatures will be slow to rise, he said.
The average high for this time of year is 78 degrees.
“By the afternoon, because of less wind, it will feel a little nicer in most spots today,” Monahan said. “But tomorrow we've got rain moving in.”
Showers are expected to begin Friday morning and increase through the day for “a wet Friday afternoon and Friday evening,” he said. The rain chances will build to 70%.
“The good news is by the weekend we're clearing out,” Monahan said. “It looks great for the weekend, albeit a bit cool.”
Saturday’s projected high is only 64 degrees, while a return to the 70s is in the forecast for Sunday. After Friday’s rain, North Georgia should stay dry through the start of next week, according to Channel 2.
While there have been more drivers on the roads since Georgia's shelter-in-place order was lifted last week, metro Atlanta traffic has not returned to normal, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
“Since the slow reopening of Georgia, we have seen a significant increase of car traffic, but not enough yet to get back to the pre-pandemic bumper-to-bumper jam,” traffic reporter Mark Arum said.
According to data from Metro Traffic and Weather, Atlanta saw a 10% increase in traffic from last Thursday to Friday after the statewide order expired. Arum said those who are commuting this week should continue to enjoy lighter-than-normal trips.
» 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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