Saturday may be a strange weather day as unusual conditions set the stage for potentially severe storms and unseasonably high temperatures.
A wedge of cold air over much of northern Georgia will move out overnight, and Atlanta residents will wake up to temperatures in the mid-60s Saturday morning, according to Channel 2 Action News Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns.
A cold front coming from the west will push rain in front of it, with the first storms arriving about midday. The high temperature is expected to reach the low 70s by mid-afternoon. As the front continues to move across the metro Atlanta area, storms will intensify throughout the afternoon and the temperature will drop overnight by about 20 degrees.
“We could be looking at a chance for isolated and severe thunderstorms,” Burns said.
The storms could have a particular effect on multiple high school varsity football state championship games taking place at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium, formerly Georgia State Stadium. The games will be played throughout the afternoon, starting with Cedar Grove and Carver-Atlanta at noon, followed by Warner Robins and Calhoun at 3:30 p.m. and Milton against Collins Hill at 7 p.m.
Rain is expected to move out of town by Sunday morning and the next several days are forecast to be dry but cooler, with highs in 60s.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The rain is likely to cause some traffic problems Saturday, along with the state championships at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium and a college basketball matchup between Georgia Tech and LSU at State Farm Arena, which tips off at 6 p.m.
Several roadwork projects will continue around Atlanta, including a new traffic pattern being introduced as part of the Transform 285/400 project. The onramp from Abernathy Road to Ga. 400 North will be closed. Instead, a ramp will connect traffic from Abernathy Road to the onramp from the North Springs MARTA station. The new pattern will deposit motorists on Ga. 400 a bit further north than the previous Abernathy Road onramp.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
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