Georgia to get another shot at snow this weekend after slight Friday warmup
Metro Atlanta will get a short reprieve from extreme cold Friday afternoon, but more waves of bone-chilling weather will follow this weekend, bringing opportunities for snow to parts of Georgia — even for the state’s southern half.
Experts said Friday morning it’s still too early to have a high-degree of confidence in the forecast, but up to a half-inch of snow could fall on the state’s highest peaks during Saturday’s predawn hours. The following morning, up to a quarter-inch could fall in Middle and South Georgia, according to the National Weather Service.
Metro Atlanta will likely miss out on the snowy winter spectacle, but the weekend will still be very cold. Lows are expected to plunge into the 20s with highs in the low 50s Saturday and barely break the 40-degree mark Sunday.
Georgia’s best chance to see any snowfall comes overnight Saturday into Sunday and along a diagonal line from Columbus to Forsyth to Greensboro, the NWS predicts.
“What’s in question is the Gulf moisture,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Ashley Kramlich said. “We’ll definitely have the Arctic air in place, but the extent of this gulf moisture is going to determine which areas see snow.”
Any snow should stop before it reaches metro Atlanta. If they’re lucky, only far southern metro locations could get a few flurries, Kramlich said.
But before that, the metro area will get a little warmup Friday afternoon as high temperatures climb into the low 50s, much closer to January’s typical 54-degree high.
Overnight lows should stay in the 40-degree range, but the first weekend cold front is expected to drape over the state early Saturday. It’s pushing in some rain showers ahead of it that could turn into a wintry mix over the northeast Georgia mountains, where temps will be closer to freezing.
“In the highest elevations (over 2,000 feet), these showers could briefly transition to all snow in the coldest hours of the morning,” NWS forecasters say.
The snow could lead to some travel difficulties in the mountains, so be careful if you’re on the road then.
Once the cold fronts move through, temps are expected to stay in the 40-degree range at least for the first half of next week with lows staying in the 20s and 30s.
Slightly warmer conditions could return by late next week, with Thursday’s projected high in the upper 50s.
