Much of the state woke up to extremely cold temperatures Thursday, and some metro Atlantans were lucky enough to see a few snowflakes on their way to work.
Near the city, morning temps are in the 20s, but with the wind, it feels like the low teens. A handful of snow flurries were spotted in northern parts of the metro area, and in North Georgia there was enough to show up on the weather radar, the National Weather Service reported.
It’s even colder in the North Georgia mountains, where light snow fell Wednesday. Feels-like temps there were as low as 4 degrees in the morning, according to NWS. Even with afternoon sunshine bringing highs into the 20s and 30s, wind chill values are expected to stay below freezing for much of the state.
In Atlanta, the high will top out around 37 degrees. It is so cold that most of Georgia was under a cold weather advisory until 10 a.m., the NWS said. Another advisory will go into effect at 10 p.m. through 10 a.m. Friday.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Such an advisory is issued when seasonably cold weather, but not extreme cold, is expected, the Weather Service explains.
Thursday night, wind chills could reach as low as 3 degrees in northern parts of the Georgia. Such low wind chill values can lead to hypothermia with prolonged exposure, the NWS warns.
“Basically what’s happening is ... on a morning like this, where temperatures are at 29 degrees and you’ve got winds that are gusting 20, 30, even 35-40 mph at times, that pulls the heat away from our bodies,” Channel 2 Action News Brian Monahan explained.
Weather experts urge people to use extra caution when spending time outside.
“Wear appropriate clothing — a hat and gloves. (And) keep pets indoors as much as possible," the NWS said.
The good news is temperatures are heading back up starting Friday.
Highs then will top out around 45 degrees and gradually increase each day. By Tuesday, we could be near 70 degrees again.
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