After several days stuck in the 30s, some relief is coming to metro Atlanta in the form of 50-degree highs.
Temperatures will be closer to average Tuesday afternoon after a cold start in the 20s and 30s, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. It will be warm enough to melt what is left of the weekend snow and ice still coating roads in northeast Georgia, where schools and businesses are closed or delayed Tuesday.
READ MORE: Schools, businesses closings for Tuesday
That won’t be the last of the winter weather, however. Another storm is headed for Georgia this coming weekend, Monahan said, but forecast models are not in agreement about what areas will see a wintry repeat, and how just how much snow and ice could accumulate.
“We could have some issues on Friday and Saturday, at least in parts of our area,” he said. “Another winter mix is possible. We are going to warm up before then, I can promise you that. We’re going to get up near 60 by the middle of the week.”
While it is cold Tuesday morning, North Georgia is not dealing with a wind chill. What the temperature says is what it actually feels like outside, Monahan said. The region is looking at a nice afternoon Tuesday with sunshine warming all 10 of the daylight hours, he said.
Less sunshine is in the forecast Wednesday as clouds return, but Monahan said it will be much warmer. A projected high of 58 is four degrees above average for Atlanta in mid-January.
“It’s going to feel pretty nice around here on Wednesday, but Wednesday night and then into Thursday rain moves in, and it is getting colder,” he said. “Thursday is going to be a wet day behind an arctic cold front.”
Monahan is calling for a 70% chance of showers Thursday, but with highs in the upper 40s and lows above freezing, it should all fall as rain. Wintry mix is possible Friday with a 60% chance of precipitation, and snow is 30% likely Sunday, according to the latest forecast.
“Another storm system is developing to our south, and this one is going to cut along the Georgia and Carolina coast,” Monahan said. “What that could mean is a winter mix of snow and ice.”
Monahan said he is looking at two forecast models, one more aggressive and the other more reserved. One model suggests Atlanta could get upwards of 2 inches of snowfall this weekend, while the other is forecasting only two-tenths of an inch of snow.
“What that tells me is we’re likely to have some snow and ice,” Monahan said, but he is more confident of accumulation in east Georgia than in the city. The forecast is expected to become more accurate as the week goes on and the winter storm approaches.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
With temperatures below freezing Tuesday morning, ice is possible on wet and snow-covered roads. While widespread icing is occurring in northeast Georgia, some patchy black ice has been reported in metro Atlanta, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Brookhaven motorists should watch out for black ice on Peachtree Road at Dresden Drive in the right southbound lane, the Traffic Center reported.
» 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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