With the Braves’ postseason fate fast approaching, traffic is looking pretty light in Cobb County.
First pitch of Game 5 in the National League Division Series is set for 5:02 p.m. at SunTrust Park, but delays are minor along I-285, I-75 and surface streets around the stadium, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. However, attendees should expect heavy traffic when the game ends.
The largest issue is on I-75 South before Windy Hill Road, where a right lane was blocked, the Traffic Center reported. It cleared just after 4 p.m., but a few delays linger.
The heavy delays are in DeKalb County, where a left lane of I-285 South is blocked near Northlake Parkway, causing delays to span back to Dunwoody, the Traffic Center reported.
A gas leak has closed the eastbound lanes of Mt. Vernon Road near Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, police said. Hammond Drive and Abernathy Road are possible alternates.
Five days ago, when the Braves took on the Cardinals in Game 2 of the NLDS, temperatures neared 100 degrees at SunTrust Park. Wednesday's temperatures should be much more seasonable for Game 5, according to Channel 2 Action News. The forecast high is 78 degrees, and Atlanta is hovering at 74.
“What a difference a few days makes,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
RELATED: Game time set, tickets still available for Braves-Cardinals Game 5
Rain chances are not zero, but with showers just 20% likely, Monahan said Wednesday should be quiet for much of North Georgia. A few sprinkles fell during the morning drive.
“It took a while to get here, but you feel that fall air this morning,” Monahan said.
Afternoon highs should be varied, with a northeast wind in place.
“If you've lived here long enough, you know a northeast wind this time of year in the fall means cooler weather in northeast Atlanta, warmer weather on the Westside,” he said.
Athens was running as much as 14 degrees lower Wednesday morning compared to the same time Tuesday, according to Channel 2.
Monahan does not expect much rain on the ride home from work with rain chances dropping to 10%.
“We'll start tomorrow morning with much more sunshine and temperatures about the same for tomorrow afternoon, up to about 80 degrees for your Thursday,” he said. A projected high of 79 Thursday is only a few degrees above average.
A brief warmup is in the forecast Friday and Saturday with highs in the low 80s before Monahan expects cooler weather to move in with another weekend cold front.
“A front comes through Saturday morning,” he said. “By Sunday, parts of North Georgia will wake up to lows in the 40s.”
» 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.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
