It’s the kind of weather Christmas carols are written about: Frightful. Frosty. Jack Frost nipping at our noses.
Baby, if you haven’t noticed, it’s cold outside.
Forecasters called for a frigid Friday with temperatures in the teens that could feel even colder with wind gusts approaching 40 miles per hour. It comes as an Arctic cold front is expected to push in some of the coldest weather in about eight years.
To prepare, road crews have been brining, the airport braced for flight disruptions amid heavy holiday travel and municipalities have announced openings of warming centers to open amid Gov. Brian Kemp’s state of emergency declaration.
“The coldest time frame of this polar air moving in is really going to be Saturday morning, so this is Christmas Eve morning,” said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Jennifer Lopez.
Low temperatures Saturday are predicted to be about 10 degrees in Atlanta, she said.
A dusting of snow or slightly more is possible Friday in mountain towns north of Atlanta.
The National Weather Service anticipates temperatures to stay below freezing until Monday for most of North Georgia. A wind chill advisory covering metro Atlanta and beyond is expected to remain in place into Saturday, with a wind chill warning in North Georgia.
Area agencies and officials began gearing up for the big chill days ago.
Kemp’s state of emergency extends through Monday. Crews with the Georgia Department of Transportation began to brine some 21,000 miles of state routes and highways Thursday, and state officials are urged motorists to stay off the roads to allow the work to be done.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport expects heavy volumes of passenger traffic Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Crowds should be lighter on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Airport officials have been holding conference calls with airlines and other businesses at the airport to prepare for winter weather.
“Should there be precipitation, we have ensured that we have enough deicing equipment and material on hand,” said Hartsfield-Jackson spokesman Andrew Gobeil.
Airlines cancelled some flights around the country as storms moved in. Some Delta Air Lines employees were expected to spend Thursday night in hotels near the airport so they could handle flights and help customers early Friday. The airline said it’s also bringing in more workers to defrost planes.
WSB traffic reporter Mike Shields cautioned that any precipitation that freezes on road surfaces could make them slick, and Shields recommends packing extra clothes and blankets in the car in case of longstanding delays caused by crashes.
GDOT has suspended all roadwork ahead of the holiday weekend. But the agency said said it would close until further notice the I-75 South Metro Express lanes and the Northwest Corridor Express lanes in both directions starting late Thursday.
Efforts to keep everyone toasty also are underway.
The City of Atlanta planned to open emergency warming centers at the Old Adamsville Recreation Center and at Central Park on Merritts Avenue on Thursday evening.
Transportation to both sites is available from the Gateway Center on Pryor Street. Warming centers also opened elsewhere, including in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
Zoo Atlanta will be closed Friday and Saturday, as staff members keep the animals safe from the harsh cold and move many creatures indoors.
The temperatures are expected to be the coldest since January 2015, according to Channel 2. The projected high is just 19 degrees Friday and 27 degrees Saturday. Temperatures are expected to top out around 32 degrees Sunday, according to Channel 2.
— Staff writers Kelly Yamanouchi and Tyler Estep contributed to this article.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
