North Georgia has two days to enjoy the sunshine before the next round of showers and storms moves in over the weekend.
Easter Sunday will be wet, and there is a risk of tornadoes later in the day, according to Channel 2 Action News. The chance for severe weather is an elevated Level 3 out of 5, with those over the Alabama state line under a Level 4 risk.
Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said the potential is there for a severe weather outbreak late Sunday night into Monday morning.
“Saturday is going to be the day for anything you’ve got to get done outside,” he said. “Whether that’s the Easter egg hunt, whether you want to take care of some yard work this weekend, Saturday is your day. Sunday is going to be pretty rough.”
There is no rain to deal with Friday like on Thursday morning, but the warmth from the past few days is gone. A cold front has swept the region, dropping temperatures into the 40s in the mountains and the 50s closer to the city.
By sunrise, Monahan said most of metro Atlanta will be in the low 50s as numbers continue to fall.
“We’re just getting missed by some rain this morning down in Middle Georgia,” he said. “We’ve just got a few clouds around.”
Monahan said it will stay cool Friday with temperatures climbing to the low 60s by the afternoon. There will be plenty of sunshine around by 2 p.m., and by 4 p.m. Atlanta is expected to reach its high of 63 degrees.
Opportunities are abundant to get outside and enjoy some fresh air Friday and Saturday, he said.
“Today and tomorrow are good days,” Monahan said. “Sunday is a stay inside day for sure with heavy rain and storms coming into North Georgia.”
With the cooler temperatures, there could be some frost on the ground early Saturday morning in the mountains, according to Channel 2. It may be a good idea to bring in potted plants overnight, Monahan said.
In advance of the storm system, clouds will start to increase late in the day on Saturday, he said. The showers are expected to begin early Easter morning.
“As low pressure cranks up to our west and sends rain our way, it’s going to send a line of very powerful storms our way Sunday night into Monday morning,” Monahan said. “With the wind racing above the ground, damaging wind gusts, and there is a tornado risk later in the day on Easter.”
The gusty wind and heavy rain are the main risks associated with the system, according to Channel 2. The chance of rain cranks up to 90% on Sunday and stays elevated at 70% through Monday.
By Tuesday, sunshine and dry weather return to the forecast.
With dry pavement and fewer drivers on the roads under Georgia’s stay-at-home order, there should be no impacts to travel Friday.
“Rides are pretty good around metro Atlanta,” WSB traffic reporter Ashley Frasca said. “Of course, all the interstates are lighter than normal, we’ve become quite accustomed to that.”
There is the possibility some surface streets are still blocked after Thursday's storms took down trees. In Cherokee County, a fallen tree is still blocking Mills Ridge Drive at Lori Lane, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Drivers can take Ridge Road to get around the closure.
» 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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