As kids finalize their costumes and parents prep their candy bowls, one question looms over metro Atlanta before Halloween: Will it rain during the key hours?
Wednesday has been constantly rainy for most of North Georgia, and the latest forecast from Channel 2 Action News has a 90% chance of rain this afternoon.
However, Channel 2 chief meteorologist Glenn Burns is encouraging trick-or-treaters to not be scared by the high rain chance.
For most of metro Atlanta, only a few showers will be left behind during the evening hours when most outdoor Halloween activities will take place.
“I think we’re going to be in great shape,” he said.
A cold front is moving east through Georgia, and a blanket of lighter rain remains over Atlanta after a few heavier downpours and storms earlier in the afternoon, according to Channel 2.
Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., metro Atlanta was under a Level 1 risk for severe weather, the lowest level out of five. A few severe thunderstorms popped up in the western metro Atlanta counties, but the system was moving east of Covington and Athens at 3 p.m.
Burns said the rain will “be gone” from Atlanta by 4 p.m.
The sky will clear out first in northwest Georgia as a strong wind pushes in behind the front. Temperatures are expected to take a 20-degree nosedive by the early evening, with numbers in the 50s in Atlanta at 5 p.m. when some costumed children typically start knocking on doors for Halloween treats. Temps have already dipped into the upper 50s.
“Dress your kids warm,” Burns said. “It’s going to be cold and the winds will be picking up — 30- to 35-mph gusts are not out of the question.”
By the end of Halloween festivities Thursday, temperatures are expected to bottom out in the 40s. A freeze warning for northwest Georgia and metro Atlanta is scheduled to go into effect at 11 p.m.
The coldest air of the season settles in overnight.
If your costume isn’t well insulated, Burns offered one idea from a galaxy far, far away that should keep you cozy.
“I hope you have a warm costume,” he said. “If you’re Chewbacca, you’re good.”
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