ATLANTA — Today: Cloudy and cool. High: 50°.
Tonight: Cloudy. Light rain, mixing with flurries. Low: 18°.
Friday: Clearing to sun. Windy and COLD! High: 23°.
Saturday: Sunny and COLD! High 28°.
Starting the day with temps in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees, and highs will reach around 50 degrees this afternoon. The Cold Air will arrive during the overnight into Friday morning.
It has been nearly five years since Atlanta has had temperatures drop into the teens, but that streak will be broken by Friday morning.
A big trough of cold air is expected to dig south into our region Friday with the possibility of north Georgia being below freezing for near 60 hours.
It won't just be our region either, temperatures may drop below freezing for areas as far south as central Florida.
The coldest temperatures will be on Saturday morning, when lows will fall into the teens and single digits.
Winds will pick up late tonight as the cold front sweeps through, and wind gusts of 35-40 mph are possible through the day Friday. These strong winds could potentially lead to power outages.
The wind will also have a major impact on how cold it feels outside. Wind chill values will be below zero for many Friday morning and Saturday morning.
This will create a dangerous cold that could lead to hypothermia. Wind Chill Warnings and Wind Chill Advisories have been issued for much of North GA.
The cold snap will pose a risk to people, pets, plants and pipes. Be sure to take precautions ahead of this cold.
First, check on people. Make sure your neighbors that struggle with cold conditions and finding places to stay warm have a place to be sheltered from the cold.
Second, make sure pets have warm and dry shelter. It will be best to bring animals inside if possible. If they need to stay outside, make sure they have water that is not going to freeze. This way they can stay hydrated while in the cold conditions.
Third, take care of plants that are sensitive to cold conditions. You will want to cover outdoor plants and bring some plants inside, if possible.
Finally, take measures to protect your home. If you have a basement with pipes, make sure the temperature is staying above freezing. Also, open cabinets under sinks along exterior walls of the house, drip faucets and make sure you have covers on outside spigots.
While you are protecting your house from the cold, make sure you are doing so safely to avoid a house fire.
Showers will also accompany the cold front on Thursday night. Cold rain could transition to a wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain, and snow by early Friday.
Any snow accumulation in far north GA will be minor. Few flurries may be possible in the Atlanta area, but no more than a few snowflakes are expected.
Wet roads may not have enough time to dry before temperatures plummet which could result in patches of black ice. If you have to be on the road early Friday, be cautious. Avoid driving if you can.
