WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Rain hits metro Atlanta during evening commute

Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns reports.

ATLANTA FORECAST

Tuesday: High: 80

Tuesday night: Low: 70

Wednesday: High: 78

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

Rain has finally arrived in parts of metro Atlanta and is affecting this evening’s commute.

“In fact, the rest of this week the commutes could be filled with rain,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said Tuesday.

Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz said he’s tracking heavy downpours across the south metro area, including Clayton and Fayette counties.

The forecast may not be enough to stop crowds from heading to SunTrust Park for tonight’s Braves game. The first-place team is returning home from a successful road trip to face the Chicago Cubs at 7:35 p.m.

And crowds are also expected in Paulding County for a parade and concert by “American Idol” contestant Caleb Lee Hutchinson, a Dallas native. The event, which will go on rain or shine, started at 6 p.m. on East Main Street, according to the Paulding sheriff’s office.

The rain will cool things down after several days of record heat. It’s currently 77 degrees in Atlanta.

On Monday, Atlanta reached a high of 91 degrees, tying the record high for that date, set in 1881. That extended the city’s 90-degree weather pattern.

The forecast high Tuesday was 80 degrees and there is between an 80 to 90 percent chance of rain every day this week, Minton said. Those showers should linger into the weekend.

Rain should provide pollen and air pollution relief. Pollen counts have not been anywhere near this year’s season high of 5,354 particles per cubic meter of air for a month. Tuesday’s count, while still in the high range, was 124, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma.

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