WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Pop-up storms present flooding risk; tree falls on MARTA tracks

ATLANTA FORECAST 

Tuesday: High: 92

Tuesday night: Low: 74

Wednesday: High: 90

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

Some heavy downpours are causing problems for the evening commute, including the risk of flooding roadways and interstates, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported.

In Fulton County, I-20 at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is being affected by heavy rain, slowing traffic in both directions, the Traffic Center reported.

A brief wave of severe thunderstorms hit several south metro Atlanta counties earlier this afternoon, and while they aren’t severe, the isolated storms in Atlanta are dropping heavy amounts of rain and producing lots of lightning, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said.

The Downtown Connector and Northern Perimeter look like they usually do during workday evenings: congested.

There is also some construction in Cobb County that is expected to slow traffic, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. The East-West Connector from Austell Road to Powder Springs Road could experience heavy delays due to construction, the Cobb County Department of Transportation said.

A tree has also fallen on the tracks near the Bankhead MARTA station, shutting down Green line service nearby, the agency said in a tweet. A bus bridge has been set up to transport riders between the Bankhead and Ashby stations. No time frame has been given for when the tree will be removed or when service will restart.

It’s a hot one. Temperatures were expected to reach 92 degrees, according to Channel 2. It’s currently 91, and the heat index is 97 in Atlanta.

A heat advisory is in effect for Middle Georgia until 7 p.m. Metro Atlanta is not in the advisory.

There should be more rain coverage when showers and storms return Wednesday afternoon, but storms are most likely on Friday, according to Channel 2. The rain chance holds at 40 percent Wednesday and Thursday before it jumps to 60 percent to end the week.

The increase in moisture should drop temperatures a few degrees.

“The heat’s being turned up for today,” Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said. “And (Wednesday), it's hot, too. But over the weekend, temperatures are coming back to a little bit below average in the middle 80s, with rain chances staying on the higher side, about 40 percent.”