The weather forecast for this holiday weekend is a “half empty, half full” scenario.

On the one hand, overall temperatures will continue to trend about 5 to 10 degrees below average, providing a cool start to the mornings followed by a mild afternoon.

On the other hand, cloud cover will move into the Metro Atlanta area late Friday night through Sunday morning, and some rain showers are possible through Saturday evening.

The surface map below illustrates a stalled/stationary front over the Gulf Coast states.

The majority of the rain and storms will be focused over this front, but some precipitation will be able travel further north, closer to Metro Atlanta.

The animation below illustrates the Futurecast Radar for Friday night. An isolated shower or storm can’t be ruled out for areas south of I-20, but the majority of Metro Atlanta will enjoy a dry evening.

The animation below illustrates the Futurecast Radar for Saturday. Increasing cloud cover may bring a chance for a rain shower during the DragonCon Parade, but they will be short-lived and relatively light.

Similar conditions are to be expected for the Georgia game as the Bulldogs host the Marshall Thundering Herd. A few rain showers cannot be ruled out, but a washout/deluge is not to be expected during the game.

Whether Heavy Rain or Prolonged Drought: How does Dooley Field stay so green during heavy rain at Sanford Stadium?

As we kickoff the official start of the College Football Season, I pondered how local football stadiums are keeping the grass pristine for collegiate play.

I talked with UGA Professor and Turfgrass Specialist Clint Waltz about how his colleagues keep Dooley Field green despite the daily downpours in North Georgia.

Q: What kind of grass is growing at Sanford Stadium, where the Georgia Bulldogs play?

“It’s Bermuda grass, and it’s mowed about three times per week during the growing season. It’s a very orchestrated process when they get ready for games. It starts a week out, getting the field conditioned and painted. There’s a lot that goes into getting that field ready for high caliber athletes on a Saturday afternoon in the fall.”

Q: Does the rain ever ruin the field?

“Not at Sanford Stadium, it’s a sand-based system. It is designed to be able to take a tremendous amount of rainfall, withstand that and move the water through it, get it into a pipe, get it out of there, and keep it as a stable and safe playing surface under those situations.”

Q: What is a sand-based system?

“The field, and grass, is actually established on sand. Kind of like a golf course putting green, it’s about a 12 inch depth on sand that may overlay a gravel layer. It’s very much an engineered system to move water throughout it and to permit air movement through that system. Roots like air, and water -- you have to give them a nice combination of both. That sand system delivers both.”

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