People who woke up early for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race enjoyed dry conditions and mild — albeit muggy — temperatures.
MORE: The 50th running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race was one for the record books
That didn’t stay true for long as the Fourth of July holiday has heated up quickly, and that heat will fuel several afternoon storms across North Georgia, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls said.
At 2 p.m., temperatures were in the low 90s, but it feels several degrees warmer. The dew point is in the upper 60s, so it feels closer to 96 degree outside. When the dew point is near 70, “tropical air” has made its mark, Walls said.
While racers were encouraged to stay well hydrated this morning, everyone needs to make sure they drink enough water when temperatures near the predicted high of 93 degrees Thursday afternoon. During sunny periods, sunblock will also be a necessity.
While this week has only featured isolated storms during the afternoon, more of North Georgia will see showers Thursday. With a 40% chance of rain, the afternoon heat should develop scattered storms, Channel 2 chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
Most of the storms have developed in Middle Georgia and near LaGrange, but metro Atlanta shouldn’t finish the day completely dry.
“We’ll see those storms and showers begin to fire up (Thursday) afternoon,” he said. “However, I do believe those will be decreasing as we get close to your fireworks time.”
By 9 p.m., most of the showers are expected to dissipate, but Atlantans might get wet during prime grilling hours, he said. The increased chance of rain is due to an area of high pressure over the Gulf of Mexico, which is pumping moisture into Georgia.
“The source of the wind is incredibly important to our forecast. You can see it's coming from the Gulf of Mexico, so the air is going to be very tropical,” Burns said. “That, combined with a little daytime heating, will produce our showers and thunderstorms.”
Traffic in the afternoon shouldn’t be much of an issue, but the heaviest holiday travel delays are expected during Friday’s evening commute, according to AAA. However, drivers won’t have to content with construction delays for the next few days, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
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A wreck in Cobb County has a right lane of the Perimeter's outer loop blocked near South Cobb Drive, and delays span to Bolton Road, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported.
An overturned car in Cobb also has Piedmont Road blocked at Sprayberry Drive, according to police. The driver suffered minor injuries, but power is out at nearby homes.
The rain chance is forecast to jump again to 60 percent for Friday, and the higher rain chances carry through the weekend. Temperatures will also decrease for the weekend to average levels at 90 degrees, according to Channel 2.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
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