Temperatures should remain above freezing Wednesday and Thursday before the coldest air in years arrives in North Georgia, just in time for the holiday weekend.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan is calling for a high of 47 degrees Wednesday, which is still below average but somewhat milder than Tuesday’s recorded high of 44. Most of the region is starting the day in the mid- to upper 30s.
“It should feel a bit nicer today with dry weather and a little bit of sun breaking through,” he said. “We’ll have some peeks and breaks of sunshine today, overall though still more clouds than sunshine in your Wednesday forecast.”
It should stay pretty dry throughout the day, Monahan said, but those with plans after dark will want to keep an umbrella handy. With temperatures well above freezing, any showers that fall Wednesday should not include wintry precipitation.
“There will be some rain showers around tonight, some scattered rain showers around tomorrow, and then all eyes to the west as our Arctic cold front approaches,” he said.
Thursday will be a day of transition before the front arrives Friday morning. Monahan expects temperatures to plunge during the overnight hours, going from a projected high of 49 degrees Thursday to a low of just 17 degrees the following morning.
As it turns colder, there could be a few snow flurries in the northwest Atlanta suburbs on Friday morning. The mountains could get a dusting of snow, but Monahan said it won’t amount to much and likely won’t impact travel.
But with a gusty wind blowing, wind chills could drop to 15 or even 20 degrees below zero. The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill watch for all of North Georgia that is scheduled to take effect late Thursday night.
“That (wind) is going to be nothing to mess around with,” Monahan said. “Limit your time outside, and if you’ve got to be outside, please dress warmly. Lots of layers. Cover up your skin as much as you possibly can.”
There will be plenty of sunshine Friday, but it won’t warm things up much. Atlanta’s projected high is a frigid 21 degrees. And numbers will fall even further Saturday, when the city could wake up to a low of just 11, according to the latest forecast.
It won’t be a white Christmas, Monahan said, but it will certainly be a cold one. He is calling for a low of 15 degrees on Sunday and a high of 32.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
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