While wrecks aren’t too prevalent, slow travel is during the evening commute Wednesday.
The Georgia Department of Transportation predicted that volume would peak around 6 p.m., but the worst of the July Fourth traffic is not expected until the Friday evening commute, according to AAA.
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Georgia drivers won’t have to contend with construction delays for the next few days, however. GDOT was scheduled to suspend projects at noon, but closure restrictions will remain in place through 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the agency.
The only wreck blocking multiple lanes in metro Atlanta was in Fulton County, where two left lanes of the Perimeter's inner loop were blocked by a crash at Old National Highway, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
While surface streets downtown are also slow, the Traffic Center warns to be prepared for closures Thursday along The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race route.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls said Wednesday is a good gauge of what to expect Thursday, with a few more showers in the holiday forecast.
North Georgia woke up Wednesday to warm, muggy weather. It’s dry in metro Atlanta, but dew points are running near 70, making for “tropical, oppressive air,” Walls said.
“Unfortunately for runners ... high dew points make it harder to sweat, thus harder to cool down,” she said. “Certainly something we will be monitoring carefully.”
The time to hydrate is now, well before the race, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan added.
Like Wednesday morning, Walls expects temperatures in the mid-70s Thursday when runners take their marks at the starting line.
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By the time most make their way to the finish line, however, temperatures are forecast in the 80s. Heat indexes, the “feels like” temperatures, will be climbing into the low 90s around 10 a.m., Channel 2 chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
And they’re only going up from there. While Thursday is forecast to top out at 92 degrees, she said humidity could make it feel more like the upper 90s. Some spots could feel like 100 degrees outside Thursday afternoon, according to Channel 2.
Wednesday had more of the same heat and high humidity. But Burns said clouds have kept temperatures a little milder than expected, so Atlanta had only hit 90 degrees as of 5:30 p.m.
There’s a 20 percent chance of a popup isolated storm, but the rain will be hit-and-miss across North Georgia, Walls said.
“I suspect those rain chances will be on the low side, running at just 20 percent,” she said. “Even if you are lucky enough to receive one of those downpours to help cool you down, they will be clearing out quite quickly, and any lingering rain areas will be winding down shortly after sunset.”
Walls said those that see activity could get periods of heavy rainfall, frequent lightning and some gusty winds in some of the bigger storms.
The rain chance is a little higher Thursday afternoon at 40 percent. While there could be a few more showers and storms around during prime grilling hours, Burns said it should be mainly dry by 9 p.m. when most fireworks displays begin.
The increased chance of rain is due to an area of high pressure over the Gulf of Mexico, which is pumping moisture into Georgia, he said.
“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.”
The rain chance is forecast to jump again to 60 percent for Friday before coming back down for the weekend, when isolated showers and storms are expected. Temperatures will also decrease for the weekend to average levels in the upper 80s, according to Channel 2.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
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