WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: It’s still winter? Temps top 70 as evening commute congestion picks up

ATLANTA FORECAST

Tuesday: High: 69

Tuesday night: Low: 49

Wednesday: High: 70

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

It sure doesn’t feel like winter.

After starting Tuesday in the 40s, Atlanta soared past its predicted high to hit 73 degrees at 5 p.m., Channel 2 Action News reported.

Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said Wednesday should be more of the same. Temperatures are expected to climb close to 70 degrees again.

“We’re set up for a beautiful next couple of days,” Monahan said.

Many people are enjoying the weather from the comfort of their cars as the evening commute hits full speed. Gwinnett County has had an especially rough week on the roads so far, considering Norcross had a gas leak Monday and roadwork and wrecks have been frequent Tuesday, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

A right lane of Medlock Bridge Road is blocked for roadwork, causing heavy delays, according to the Traffic Center.

A stall on I-85 North before Lawrenceville Suwanee Road is also causing delays back to the split with Ga. 316, the Traffic Center reported.

As soon as Ga. 400 began to recover from a northbound wreck near Windward Parkway that blocked three lanes, another crash near McFarland Road is blocking the right shoulder, causing delays to linger longer, the Traffic Center reported.

Two right lanes of the Perimeter’s outer loop are blocked near I-20 in DeKalb County because of a crash involving a tractor-trailer, the Traffic Center reported.

North Georgia will see only a few high clouds Tuesday night, meaning the warm temperatures won’t cool off too fast, Channel 2 reported.

With a little break in the rain, tree pollen counts are on the rise. The count was moderate Tuesday at 29 particles per cubic meter of air over the past 24 hours.

The dry conditions are expected to continue until Thursday, but the rain chance increases to 40 percent Thursday night.

“A (cold) front will approach North Georgia late this week with an increasing chance for rain later Thursday into Friday,” Monahan said. “This front will be responsible for severe weather over the Plains and parts of the Deep South.”

While the system will be weakening by the time it moves into Georgia, Monahan said there is a risk of an isolated strong or severe storm overnight Thursday. There is a 60 percent chance of rain Friday morning, and the commute will likely be tough, he said.

On the other side of the front, temps are forecast to dip into the 50s for the weekend, but Monahan said it should be sunny. Atlanta has not seen a completely dry weekend since before the Super Bowl.