ATLANTA FORECAST
Wednesday: High: 42
Wednesday night: Low: 24
Thursday: High: 47
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
It’s been a frigid week, but at least it was above freezing Wednesday afternoon.
Atlanta peaked at 43 degrees, which was actually a degree warmer than predicted — although warm doesn’t seem accurate. A bitter wind made it feel about 10 degrees colder, so it has felt near freezing all day, according to Channel 2 Action News.
It could be worse. We could be Chicago, Minneapolis or anywhere in the Midwest, where temperatures are well below freezing. The wind chill dropped below minus-50 in Minneapolis. A wind chill of minus-25 can freeze skin within 15 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.
Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said the last time Atlanta dropped below zero was in 1985, when it hit minus-8 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The cold isn't affecting the roads much, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. However, wrecks are.
A car fire in Gwinnett County is slowing traffic on I-85 North near Lawrenceville Suwanee Road, the Traffic Center reported. Two right lanes are blocked.
Volume on roads has also increased as the evening commute continues, meaning the Northern Perimeter and Downtown Connector are both stop-and-go, according to the Traffic Center.
Downtown, Super Bowl road closures remain in effect.
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is closed between Northside Drive and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, and Andrew Young International Boulevard between Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive are closed until Feb. 7. Baker Street between Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Luckie Street is closed until Feb. 8.
Mitchell Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Elliot Street, and Mangum Street between Markham and Foundry streets will also be closed until Feb. 7.
One southbound lane of Northside Drive is closed until Saturday while contractors work to build a security fence around Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
MORE: Super Bowl 53: Some road closures already in place, more to come
Additional road closures are expected this weekend.
With some of the coldest air in years in place to the north, metro Atlanta is feeling the chill Wednesday. The low in Atlanta this morning was 24 degrees, the second-coldest morning of the year behind a 22-degree start last Tuesday, according to Channel 2.
It felt more like the teens earlier Wednesday with the wind chill, Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said. For some mountain counties, wind chills dipped into the single digits. A wind advisory for that region was allowed to expire at 11 a.m.
Just a few high clouds are expected in North Georgia on Wednesday for a mostly sunny day. Despite all the sunshine, those 40-degree temps could be short-lived, Monahan said. Metro Atlanta will be back to the mid- to upper 30s for the evening commute.
“We have one more night where temperatures are going to dip down to the 20s across North Georgia,” he said.
Thursday is expected to be slightly warmer with a projected high of 47 degrees. Then it is a little milder for Friday and the weekend. Saturday and Sunday have a 30 percent chance of rain, according to the latest forecast.
“There are going to be some showers around, but I don’t think it’s going to cause any major problems for Super Bowl weekend,” Monahan said. “Some showers Saturday, showers on Super Bowl Sunday. We’re in the upper 50s for highs.”
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