After a few milder days in metro Atlanta, temperatures are taking a tumble back below freezing this weekend as we usher in the official start of winter.
Don’t worry, though. We should warm up a bit for Christmas Day, just pack a variety of layers if you’re traveling for the holiday.
On Friday, the high will top out in the low 50s, a bit below the average 55-degree high for this time of year. But overnight, the bottom falls out, prompting warming shelters to open in several metro counties. Lows are expected to dip to about 31 degrees closer to the city, and gusting wind will make it feel even colder.
“Arctic cold front moving through North Georgia today,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “That means strong wind gusts.”
The cold front is thanks to chilly air that is blowing in from the Great Lakes and dipping down toward the Appalachians and into North Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. Wind chills could drop into the low 20s, too, but any rainfall that gets pushed in along the cold front should stay closer to Tennessee.
On Saturday, the first day of winter, and on Sunday, it’ll be even colder. Highs are projected to stay in the upper 40s, and lows will reach the 20s with breezy conditions lingering.
“It’s going to be a cold start on Saturday morning,” Monahan said.
The city of Atlanta will open a warming center at the Central Park Recreation Center, 400 Merritts Ave. starting at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In DeKalb, four warming centers will open nightly starting at 8 p.m. Friday through Monday. They include:
- Frontline Response International at 2585 Gresham Road
- North DeKalb Senior/Community Center at 3393 Malone Drive
- Mason Mill Recreation Center at 1340 McConnell Drive
- Exchange Recreation Center at 2771 Columbia Drive
Gwinnett’s warming stations will open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. They are at:
- Buford Senior Center at 2755 Sawnee Ave.
- Shorty Howell Park Activity Building at 2750 Pleasant Hill Road
- Best Friend Park Gym at 6224 Jimmy Carter Blvd.
- Centerville Senior Center at 3025 Bethany Church Road
- Lawrenceville Senior Center at 225 Benson St.
MUST Ministries will open its winter weather shelter on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Those looking to spend the night should check in by 8 p.m., the organization said. Dinner and breakfast will be served. The shelter is at 1297 Bells Ferry Road in Marietta.
By Christmas Eve, high temps should be back in the 50s. And on Christmas Day, while there is a 30% chance of scattered showers, the high is expected to be 54 degrees. That means no snow — not that Georgians were really expecting any.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
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