Those hoping to get outdoors for the second half of the weekend may want to rethink their Sunday plans.

Strong storms and damaging winds are expected in metro Atlanta starting ahead of a major cooldown to start the week, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Eboni Deon said.

“The second half of the weekend turns a lot wetter, with heavy storms and rain moving in,” she said, adding that an isolated tornado is possible in some areas.

Clouds are expected to move into metro Atlanta on Sunday morning, keeping the afternoon high at 59 degrees in the city, according to the latest forecast.

“The second half of the day we’re watching for heavy rain to move in, some thunderstorms as well,” Deon said, calling for a 90% chance of rain.

While the weather will be worse south of Atlanta, much of North Georgia is in store for strong storms. The rain is expected to clear out early Monday morning, leaving behind the coldest air of the season and the possibility of snow flurries by Tuesday.

“We’re turning colder for early next week,” Deon said. “While we could see some flurries across our northern suburbs, we’re not expecting to see any accumulation.”

Monday’s high drops to a chilly 48 degrees in Atlanta and Tuesday afternoon’s temperature is expected to top out at 42, Deon said.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has suspended construction projects over the Thanksgiving travel period, but drivers on metro Atlanta’s interstates could run into delays Sunday afternoon as families return home ahead of the workweek.

Construction projects are expected to resume at 5 a.m. Monday, GDOT said.

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

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