WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Gas leak, wrecks, construction contribute to slow roads on hot day

ATLANTA FORECAST

Tuesday: High: 90

Tuesday night: Low: 71

Wednesday: High: 90

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

While Atlanta reached 92 degrees, drivers were battling nearly everything possible on Atlanta’s interstates.

A gas leak in DeKalb County previously shut down all Buford Highway lanes near Holcomb Bridge Road, but those blocked lanes have been reduced to one right northbound lane, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Delays are still lingering.

Elsewhere, a northbound lane on Peachtree Street is blocked for roadwork, which is causing delays on nearby surface streets, according to the Traffic Center.

A crash on I-85 near Riverdale Road in Clayton County has blocked two southbound left lanes, causing delays, the Traffic Center reported.

In Gwinnett County, two center lanes of I-85 North near Beaver Ruin Road are blocked by another crash, the Traffic Center reported.

MARTA riders are also dealing with delays on the east-west rail after a suspect jumped onto the tracks, Atlanta police told AJC.com.

MORE: Delays remain after police activity at Bankhead MARTA station

The official start to fall is this weekend, but it may as well be August with the way things feel in metro Atlanta.

Temperatures remain high as rain stays away from North Georgia, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton.

“Just be prepared for the heat,” she said. “Make sure you stay hydrated, because the air is going to get really hot quickly.”

Jack Hearn, 20, a third-year civil engineering major at Georgia Tech, casts a long shadow from his scooter while on campus. With few clouds and little chance of rain, temperatures have reached the 90s. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

The above-average temperatures are expected to persist through the week and into Saturday, the first day of fall. Rain chances will stay low until Friday, when Minton said they increase to 20 percent.

“Outdoor plans? Go ahead with them,” she said of the weekend forecast. “You just may have to dodge an isolated shower.”

It’s so dry and hot for two reasons: the remnants of Hurricane Florence and a ridge of high pressure over Missouri.

As what remains of Florence moves north, it is bringing most of the moisture and clouds in the Southeast with it, according to Channel 2.

The area of high pressure is slowly moving into the area this week, and Minton said those conditions aren’t conducive for rain development.

“As high pressure is building in and that ridge sits right over the top of us, it will cut off the chance of showers and storms,” she said.

As a result, temperatures should remain about eight degrees above normal for the next few days.

Even though the Braves take on the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:35 p.m. at SunTrust Park, the heat should make it much warmer than normal at the stadium. Traffic nearby in Cobb County should also pick up around first pitch.