WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Temps stay mild after rounds of showers; backups build on Perimeter

Those wishing for the rain, rain to go away have gotten their wish Tuesday, and they’ll continue to have their wish granted for the next few days, according to Channel 2 Action News.

After two rounds of rain, metro Atlanta is getting a chance to dry out, leaving behind plenty of clouds and only a few showers on the Southside. The bulk of the rain is following a cold front that is moving southeast through Middle Georgia, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Glenn Burns said.

The cooling rain has lowered Tuesday’s temperature significantly, with Atlanta only hitting 82 degrees at 5 p.m. Contrary to what normally happens after summer showers, the dew point is also dropping, indicating drier air is moving in.

“When (the dew point) is in the 70s, that's tropical. That's sticky,” Burns said. “But we've seen a drop in the dew point to 69 degrees, and I expect dew points in the mid-60s in the next hour.”

Drivers on the Perimeter are not getting the chance to enjoy the more comfortable air, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported.

A crash on the outer loop has a right lane blocked at Atlanta Road in Cobb County, and delays span back to Ga. 400, the Traffic Center reported.

The Southside isn’t much better, with all lanes of the inner loop briefly blocked to clear a stalled tractor-trailer near Riverdale Road in Clayton County, the Traffic Center reported. The interstate is open again, but I-285 and I-75 are slow as a result.

DeKalb County hasn’t gotten off free, either, since roadwork is blocking the right shoulder of the outer loop past Memorial Drive, the Traffic Center reported.

A large downed tree is also slowing surface streets in DeKalb. It’s blocking Hugh Howell Road between Mountain Industrial Boulevard and Rosser Road.

As the cold front continues to march southeast, a large pocket of dry air is moving toward North Georgia and should enter the state overnight, Burns said.

“There's a lot of dry air that's moving in and it will envelop us tonight,” he said. “That is not conducive to afternoon popup showers, so they are done for the immediate future."

Not only will the rain chance get cut to nearly nothing, morning temperatures will also take a small dive, he said. Wednesday’s predicted morning low for Atlanta is 67 degrees, which is 7 degrees cooler than it was Tuesday morning.

Afternoon highs are not forecast to get above the mid-80s for the rest of the week, according to Channel 2.

“It's going to be gorgeous,” Burns said. “Sunshine, low humidity and mild temperatures, so not too hard to take.”

Humidity is not gone for good, however. Moisture in the air will return by the weekend, as well as an isolated storm chance, according to the latest forecast.

» 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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