WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Atlanta temps fall 15 degrees as winds pick up

Temperatures have dropped about 15 degrees in metro Atlanta since Tuesday morning, and they still have further to fall.

The showers and heavy downpours that made a mess of the morning commute continue to move away, and a cold front is moving in, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Eboni Deon said. By the evening commute, all of North Georgia could be in the 40s.

That’s a 20-degree difference from Tuesday’s starting point.

“We do have a good deal of moisture around,” Deon said at noon. “However, much of the rain is coming to an end as it slides off to the south and east along with that passing cold front that’s helping to usher in the cold air behind it.”

The severe weather threat will also continue to shift to the southeast, according to Channel 2. Strong storms and tornadoes ripped through parts of the South overnight, but the system had weakened significantly by the time it reached Georgia.

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That system will eventually leave North Georgia with much lower temperatures.

“Earlier this morning we had that southerly wind flow,” Deon said. “That is still active in advance of the front. As it pushes off to the south and east, though, it is being replaced by a northwesterly wind flow that is helping to bring in that much colder air.”

Winds are starting to pick up at midday, making it feel even colder outside. While it looks a little gloomy out there, Deon said the clouds will clear out by late Tuesday night.

“Overnight tonight we'll have clearing, and that is going to allow those temperatures to fall even more so,” she said.

Metro Atlanta will start the day Wednesday near the freezing point, according to the latest forecast. Even with more sunshine around, Deon said the city can’t expect much of a warmup with afternoon highs in the 40s.

“We're going to have some nice dry days (ahead), but it will be cold Wednesday morning,” she said.

After Tuesday, the rain chance drops out of the forecast for the rest of the work week. Metro Atlanta should see a return to more seasonable temperatures Thursday and Friday, with highs in the low 50s, according to Channel 2.