MONDAY’S WEATHER: Last day of warmth before coldest air of the season arrives

Enjoy the warmth while it lasts, Atlanta. Big changes are in the forecast this week that will bring in the coldest air so far this season.

Over the span of just three days, the region will transition from summer-like weather into mild fall conditions and then jump straight into the bitter chill of winter. Metro Atlanta was treated to afternoon highs in the 80s over the weekend, but temperatures should be back on track Monday with a projected high of 74 degrees, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Eboni Deon.

It won’t feel like fall for long, however. A cold front moving in Monday will bring in dry, cold air and plunge temperatures down into the 20s and 30s overnight, Deon said.

“The cold air settles in tonight,” she said. “It’s going to stick around through the day Tuesday, on into Wednesday, and even early Thursday we will still feel that chill. Be prepared for that.”

After a warm start in the 60s on Monday morning, Atlanta is expected to reach the low 70s between 2 and 4 p.m. The cold front should not bring any rain Monday, according to Deon, but it will be responsible for some added cloud cover.

A freeze warning is scheduled to go into effect at midnight Monday for the northeast Georgia mountains, where Deon said temperatures will dip down into the upper 20s overnight. By Tuesday night, the northwest Atlanta suburbs will be included under a freeze watch.

Frost and freeze have the potential to damage outdoor plants and unprotected outdoor plumbing, according to the National Weather Service.

Deon is calling for a low of 38 degrees in Atlanta on Tuesday morning.

“Not only is it going to be cold, we’re not going to see much of a warmup as we get into the day on Tuesday,” she said. The city is only expected to make it into the mid-50s, which is more like the average low for this time of year.

Wednesday morning should be even colder in Atlanta, with a projected low of 34. In fact, Deon is calling for morning lows in the 30s for the rest of the week. Afternoon highs will remain below-average, eventually topping out in the upper 60s by the end of the work week, according to the latest forecast.