It was a rough morning on the roads with several showers slicking up the pavement, but a cold front swept the rain away, leaving Atlanta with plenty of time to dry out.
“That cold front is now moving along the Georgia coast, and behind it (is a) mega area of high pressure, which is going to bring in cold air tonight and give us an absolutely picture-perfect evening,” Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
Without the rain, conditions on the roads have also improved, but wrecks are creating some slow spots during the evening commute, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
All I-20 East lanes were briefly held after a crash at the Downtown Connector, which clogged downtown Atlanta, the Traffic Center reported. The left lane has reopened.
The Perimeter is also recovering after a rollover crash was cleared from the outer loop at Paces Ferry Road in Cobb County, the Traffic Center reported. Delays span into Sandy Springs.
I-85 North is in a similar situation after a crash past Pleasantdale Road was cleared, but heavy delays remain, the Traffic Center reported.
The morning showers were part of the same system that brought tornadoes to Texas and parts of the South over the past couple of days. It had weakened significantly by the time it reached Georgia, and no severe weather was reported locally.
Winds were gusting up to 30 mph as the downpours moved through before sunrise, taking down power lines, according to Channel 2.
Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said no more rain should fall Tuesday. Temperatures have also risen to the low 70s.
On the other side of the system, he said it will turn chilly with morning lows Wednesday in the 30s and 40s for the coldest morning of the season. More rain chances move in Friday, according to the latest forecast.
“The rain we're getting, it is helping the drought at least a little bit,” he said. “But you know what? Drought doesn’t go away with just a couple of days of rain.”
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
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