Traffic issues move to Southside as evening commute chugs along

It’s rare for an interstate to be slower before the evening commute than during it, but I-20 has recovered well after a rough afternoon.

For nearly two hours, most I-20 lanes were blocked in Douglasville because of downed power lines, according to police. Just after 3:30 p.m., all lanes reopened.

MORE: I-20 moving again after downed power lines halt Douglasville traffic

While traffic in Douglas and Cobb counties isn't too bad, there are a few other issues slowing drivers Tuesday, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Clayton County is being hit the hardest by wrecks.

A left lane of I-75 South near Forest Parkway is blocked by a crash, according to the Traffic Center.

Not too far away, a right southbound lane of the interstate is blocked by a crash near Tara Boulevard, according to the Traffic Center.

Also on the Southside, a crash on I-85 South at Senoia Road is also blocking two right lanes, the Traffic Center reported.

After a chilly start, North Georgia is well on its way to a 30-degree warmup Tuesday afternoon.

Lows should be in the 50s this time of year. Instead, the northeast Georgia mountains woke up to temperatures in the 30s and it was in the 40s pretty much everywhere else, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

“It’s going to be a nice, warm afternoon today,” Monahan said. “A lot of sunshine. We’ll get into the mid-70s.”

Atlanta warmed to 75 degrees by 5 p.m. The projected high is 77, which is five degrees above average. Many areas will be back in the 80s on Wednesday, Monahan said.

The only issue is the pollen.

“This week is traditionally the end of the peak of the pollen season,” Monahan said. Last year, April 20 saw the last “extremely high” pollen count, which is anything greater than 1,500.

“If you are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, I think this could be our last week to see those big, four-digit pollen count numbers,” he said.

The count Tuesday was down again at 432 particles per cubic meter of air. Pollen levels have been steadily falling since hitting a season high of 6,575 on Saturday, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma, which tracks the daily pollen count.

“Between now and Thursday, it’s going to be pretty quiet,” Monahan said. “But by Thursday night and Friday, (we’re) still watching this potential for strong to severe storms. One thing that could work in our favor, and it very well might, is the storm timeline.”

Low pressure developing along a cold front is expected to roll into North Georgia overnight, when the instability for storms is limited. Monahan said there is still a risk of damaging wind, hail and an isolated tornado on Friday morning.

Up to 2 inches of rain is expected across North Georgia between Thursday night and Saturday, according to Channel 2.

Easter weekend looks to be rainy and chilly for the first half, but Sunday should be beautiful with sunny skies and highs in the mid-70s, according to the latest forecast.