Cold rain is possible Tuesday as a weather system to the south sends showers in Atlanta’s direction.
None of the showers will be that heavy, and most will be contained to communities south of the city, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. Combined with high temperatures in the 40s, conditions aren’t ideal for any holly jolly activities planned outdoors.
“We already have some sprinkles, some showers,” Monahan said Tuesday morning. “Maybe that’s not so fun. Seventy-degree high temperatures, that could be fun later this week.”
By Christmas Eve, Monahan expects temperatures to take a 20-degree jump, warming up just in time for Santa’s big day. A projected high of 70 degrees on Saturday doesn’t exactly say Christmas, but it will be nice weather, he said.
As for Tuesday, the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year, the weather definitely fits the bill. The season will officially start at 10:59 a.m. with the winter solstice. Temperatures are starting the day in the 30s and won’t move much, eventually reaching a projected high of 46 degrees.
“It is going to feel chilly for this first day of winter,” Monahan said. “A lot of clouds around. Rain chance is about 40% today, but Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — that’s Christmas Eve — are going to be dry.”
Monahan is expecting rain off and on through lunchtime Tuesday before showers come to an end this afternoon. There is a slight 20% chance of a shower on Christmas Day, he said.
Most will have a mainly dry holiday, and everyone will be warm. The average high for Dec. 25 is 55 degrees, and this year Atlanta will rise 15 degrees above it, according to Channel 2.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Tuesday is expected to be a busy travel day as drivers head out to their holiday destinations. Metro Atlanta interstates are all moving well at the start of the Tuesday morning drive, but extra congestion is expected this afternoon, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
”It will be a busy day at the airport, but not busy on the roads heading there,” traffic reporter Heather Catlin said at 6:30 a.m. “I-85, I-75 and I-285 look fantastic now.”
Catlin is expecting volume to increase beginning around 3 p.m. Historically, holiday traffic is the worst through the Southside.
“You’re going to see extra delays between Stockbridge and Locust Grove in both directions later on today because it is the holiday season,” she said. “People are going to be going to and from and through Henry County.”
» 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.
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