WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Southside stricken by several wrecks as evening commute continues

Wrecks are slowing down multiple interstates around metro Atlanta on Wednesday, but the Southside is getting hit the hardest.

Only two left lanes of I-85 South are open after a crash at Ga. 74 in South Fulton, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

In Spalding County, northbound travel on a highway is shut down by a four-vehicle wreck, the county sheriff’s office said. U.S. 41 is blocked at County Line Road.

MORE: Multiple injuries reported after 4-vehicle wreck shuts down Spalding highway

I-85 South just past Ga. 400 is also recovering after a crash briefly blocked all lanes, the Traffic Center reported.

With a mostly clear sky, Atlanta has warmed into the upper 60s after the coldest morning so far this season. The fact that the temperatures Wednesday morning were right on target for this time of year did not make the chill any easier to tolerate.

“It’s fall, it should be this cold, and it is still cold,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

Temperatures started in the 30s in the mountains, 40s in northwest Georgia and upper 40s in Atlanta. That’s roughly a 20-degree difference, on average, from Tuesday’s morning lows.

Numbers dipped to 46 degrees at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, tying for the coldest morning of the season in Atlanta. It was even colder in DeKalb at 41 degrees at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

Unlike on Tuesday, when a wave of heavy rain moved through the state, Wednesday has been dry with a clear sky all day, according to Channel 2.

With a mainly clear sky overnight, Thursday should be another chilly morning, Channel 2 chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.

“It’s going to be another chilly night tonight,” he said. “(It’ll) probably be just as cool as last night.”

On Friday, a warm front will change things, he said. That will create the conditions for a few showers, some of which could fall during the morning commute. Rain is 40% likely Friday, according to the latest forecast.

“Savor the weather today. Savor it (Thursday), too, because a very wet pattern is beginning to develop now as we head into the weekend,” Burns said.

The heaviest rain will stay to the west of Georgia, but North Georgia has a shot at about a half-inch this weekend.

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

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