WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Isolated downpours moving into metro Atlanta

ATLANTA FORECAST

Wednesday: High: 81

Wednesday night: Low: 68

Thursday: High: 82

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

Wednesday afternoon had nice, clear skies, Channel 2 Action News Chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said. However, that’s beginning to change.

Isolated downpours are moving into the Atlanta area, which will affect the latter part of the evening commute.

Burns said strong downpours are already moving into Cherokee and Cobb counties.

Most of Middle Georgia is also under a flash flood watch that will last until Thursday morning, Channel 2 reported.

Suwanee Creek in Gwinnett County is under a flood warning until 12:44 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. It is forecast to rise above the flood stage of 8 feet “and crest near 8.8 feet by this afternoon,” the Weather Service said. “The river will fall below flood stage later this evening.”

The temperature is 82 degrees in Atlanta, which is one degree above the predicted high for today. The extra heat will help develop rainstorms as long as the sun stays out, which spells bad news for drivers tonight.

Burns said the rain should subside by 7 p.m., leaving mostly cloudy skies.

Traffic is stop-and-go in several areas around town, especially on the north Perimeter and near the Downtown Connector, according to WSB's 24-hour Traffic Center.

Flooding is possible Wednesday due to heavy rain. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

In Fulton County, only one lane on I-285 South is open due to a wreck near Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, the Traffic Center reported.

Traffic lights are out in Gwinnett County on Grayson Highway at Ga. 78 in Loganville, according to the Traffic Center. Police are directing traffic, but delays are building.

MARTA riders aren’t safe from delays, either. The Blue route is experiencing about 10-minute delays, according to a tweet.

The chances of rain have only increased for Memorial Day weekend, Burns said. The chance goes up to 80 percent, and northeast Georgia could see 4 to 6 inches over the weekend and Florida’s panhandle beaches could see up to 10 inches, Channel 2 reported.

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The area of tropical low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico is slowly making its way north toward Alabama and Mississippi and will dump lots of rain across the Southeast.

Burns said the chance of a tropical storm forming has gone up to 60 percent. If one forms, it would be named Alberto, which Burns pointed out is the same name as a 1968 tropical storm that hit Georgia.

High temperatures should stick around 80 degrees through the weekend, fueling the rainfall, Burns said.