[UPDATE: 4 p.m.] A winter storm warning has been issued for the counties in the northwestern part of Georgia, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz. The warning indicates that snowfall of 2-3 inches is expected and could cause slippery roads and dangerous driving conditions.
According to the National Weather Service, 10 counties are subject to the warning: Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Chattooga, Gordon and Floyd.
[ORIGINAL STORY:] Over the next 24 hours, parts of North Georgia will have a shot at severe storms, accumulating snow and strong wind gusts with the potential to cause power outages.
All of this will be accompanied by some downright bitter temperatures, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. A strong cold front arrives Friday night, and it will drop temperatures from the 60s Friday down into the 30s on Saturday morning, he said.
With the blustery conditions this weekend, it could feel more like the teens and 20s outside.
“I promise you the cold weather, the severe storms are not going to last long,” Monahan said. “Just tonight, just tomorrow morning, just really through the weekend and then we warm right back up into next week. That’s really the name of game as we head into the end of winter, the beginning of spring: changes.”
Monahan expects mostly dry conditions during the daylight hours Friday, with a 30% chance of an isolated shower. Ahead of the cold front, Atlanta is expected to reach a high of 63 degrees, which is right on target for this time of year.
The front is expected to arrive Friday night. As it moves through North Georgia, Monahan said there is a moderate to high risk of heavy rain and damaging wind gusts, and a low risk of a tornado.
He expects the strongest storms to pop up south of I-20, from about midnight to 4 a.m. Saturday.
“Down in South Georgia, that’s where that (severe) risk is going to be highest,” he said. “Around metro Atlanta, a Level 1 risk. A Level 2 risk on the Southside. Any severe storms tonight though look to be isolated.”
North Georgia will trade the risk of severe weather for a chance at snow. Cold air rushing in behind the system could produce a few snow showers from the mountains to the western Atlanta suburbs, Monahan said. He expects the winter weather to begin around 4 a.m. and wrap up by 8 a.m.
Some light accumulation is possible in the mountains, according to Channel 2. In metro Atlanta, any snow that doesn’t melt immediately is not likely to amount to much more than a dusting.
Saturday’s projected low is 36 degrees, and temperatures are not expected to move much throughout the day. The high Saturday is just 39 degrees in Atlanta.
“The cold air, about 24 hours it’s going to be with us,” Monahan said. “And not only will the temperature be low, the wind chill is going to be really low. After about 4 a.m. tomorrow morning, that wind is really going to start to pick up.”
With wind gusting up to 35 mph or higher, wind chills in the teens and 20s will take metro Atlanta through Saturday afternoon, he said. It will be sunny, but there will be a chance for power outages Saturday before the wind starts to settle down that evening.
An even colder morning is in store Sunday with a projected low of 26 degrees, according to Channel 2. By Sunday afternoon, temperatures rebound to the 50s.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Even before the weekend weather whiplash, metro Atlanta is slogging through a tough commute Friday morning. Multiple interstates have been shut down before daybreak, including the Downtown Connector, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Three left lanes are now open on the northbound connector after a deadly shooting investigation near Langford Parkway, the Traffic Center reported at 6:30 a.m. Motorists should continue to use I-285, Metropolitan Parkway or Moreland Avenue until traffic recovers.
On the Northside, a truck fire has shut down the I-285 outer loop at Ashford Dunwoody Road, according to the Traffic Center.
Authorities have not said when the lanes will reopen. Until they do, commuters can use I-85 South.
“If you are traveling through Doraville, if you’re traveling through Dunwoody trying to get to Sandy Springs, avoid I-285,” traffic reporter Mike Shields said.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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