[8:15 p.m.]: The remaining severe thunderstorms warning in Georgia have expired, according to the NWS.
[7:45 p.m.]: The ground stop at the Atlanta airport has been lifted, according to the FAA.
[7:36 p.m.]: A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Carroll, Haralson, Paulding and Polk counties until 8:15 p.m. by the NWS.
[7:30 p.m.]: The ground stop at the Atlanta airport is expected to be lifted at 7:45 p.m., according to the FAA.
[7:15 p.m.]: The remaining severe thunderstorm warnings in metro Atlanta have expired. However, the Atlanta airport remains under a ground stop.
Average departure delays are between an hour and a half and an hour and 45 minutes, according to the FAA. It’s unclear when the ground stop will be lifted.
[7:07 p.m.]: Departure delays at the Atlanta airport have grown to between 61 minutes and 75 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport remains under a ground stop, which is affecting arriving flights.
[7:04 p.m.]: The severe thunderstorm warning for Henry and Newton counties has expired, according to the National Weather Service.
[6:55 p.m.]: A downed tree is blocking Parkridge Drive at Tobey Road, according to Brookhaven police.
[6:54 p.m.]: The severe thunderstorm warning for Butts County has expired, but the warning for Henry and Newton counties was extended until 7:15 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
[6:45 p.m.]: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is under a ground stop due to severe thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flights into the airport are being affected, and general departure delays are between 31 and 45 minutes.
[6:39 p.m.]: Downed trees and power lines have blocked two southbound lanes of I-75 near mile marker 208, according to the Spalding County Sheriff's Office.
[6:33 p.m.]: A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Fulton, Carroll and Douglas counties until 7:15 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The severe thunderstorm warning for Butts and Henry counties was also extended until 7 p.m. Newton County was also added to this severe thunderstorm warning, while Spalding County was removed, the NWS said.
[5:51 p.m.]: Butts, Henry and Spalding counties are under a severe thunderstorm warning until 6:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
[5:45 p.m.]: The severe thunderstorm warning for Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties expired, according to the National Weather Service.
[5:28 p.m.]: Damage has been reported in Woodstock and Cobb County.
Lightning and hail have been reported in Cobb, and the county’s government tweeted that Macland Road is closed between Bankstone Drive and Powder Springs Road due to downed wires.
There are also downed trees in Woodstock, according to Channel 2 Action News.
UPDATE [5:05 p.m.]: A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties until 5:45 p.m. by the National Weather Service.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Northside is recovering after a crash on Ga. 400 blocked all northbound lanes.
The wreck happened at Northridge Road, and only the right shoulder remains blocked, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. However, delays have grown back to the Perimeter.
Debris from a wreck also blocks two right lanes of the Perimeter’s outer loop at I-20 in Fulton County, according to the Traffic Center.
Farther north, the hangups are a little less typical. All lanes of Ga. 53 were shut down in Dawson County after a 6,000-pound truck hauling explosives overturned, authorities said.
Crews cleaned up about five gallons of the material and motor vehicle fluids that spilled from the truck. The highway reopened just before 2 p.m., according to the Traffic Center.
RELATED: Highway reopens hours after truck hauling explosives overturns
While the thermometer makes it look cooler in Atlanta than it was Monday, it feels almost as hot outside.
With a high of 99 degrees, Monday was the hottest September day for the city since 1941, according to Channel 2 Action News. The predicted high Tuesday is 96, but the risk for heat stress is just as high.
“That’s because the humidity is going to go up today,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “The heat index, what it will feel like later today, is just the same as it was yesterday.”
Heat indexes could reach 100 degrees. Atlanta has hit 94 degrees, with a heat index of 98, making Tuesday the 73rd day in the 90s this year.
The higher humidity will also fuel a few more storms Tuesday, Monahan said. The best chance of rain, like on Monday, is to the south and west of town.
“It’s not a very high chance, about 30% through the afternoon,” he said.
Most will just be dealing with heat. All week, temperatures are running about 10 degrees above the average 84 degrees for the start of September, Monahan said. There are only 13 more days of summer before fall officially begins Sept. 23.
“This is the time of year where temperatures are supposed to be getting cooler and cooler, and they have only been getting hotter the last few days,” he said.
It’s still “midsummer rules” when dealing with the high temperatures, which he said means to stay hydrated, limit time outside and find shade whenever possible.
“I’m optimistic that by the second half of the weekend, rain chances come up and the temperatures will start to come down just a bit,” he said.
With lots of activity in the tropics, there is the potential for more moisture to work its way into Georgia over the weekend. By Sunday, storms are 30% likely in North Georgia in part because of a tropical wave of thunderstorms working its way past Cuba, Monahan said.
As the rain chances go up, temperatures come down. Metro Atlanta should finally drop out of the 90s Sunday with a projected high of 89 degrees, 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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