How cold is it? The high temperature Tuesday only reached 36 in metro Atlanta. The average high is 63. And the wind chill makes it feel even colder.
"Throughout the afternoon, the winds will be up 20-25 mph, keeping the wind chill in the 20s across metro Atlanta," said Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz. Wednesday morning is going to be a crisp 21 in Atlanta, and 16 for a morning low in Blairsville, Nitz said.
The coldest Arctic blast since last winter sent temperatures plunging into the mid-20s across metro Atlanta early Tuesday, causing isolated black ice on the roads. Here’s what you can expect as you hit the roads for your evening commute. While you're at it, give us your best cold weather joke below.
Near record-low temperatures: Atlanta's official low early Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport of 24 degrees was 20 degrees below normal and just four degrees away from the record low for the date of 18, set in 1891.
Other morning lows included 23 in Marietta, Dunwoody, Alpharetta and Cartersville and 24 in Chamblee. In the mountains, the mercury plunged to 19 degrees in Blairsville.
The wind chill early Tuesday dropped as low as 11 degrees in metro Atlanta and into single digits in the mountains, where a wind chill advisory was in effect until 11 a.m.
Flurries in the mountains: A few snow flurries were observed Tuesday morning in the mountain counties, and the National Weather Service said just before 10 a.m. that some light accumulations were being reported in the extreme northern counties of Georgia, especially along the ridge lines.
The weather service said that while up to a half-inch of snow is possible at the higher elevations, most areas will see only a dusting.
Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan reported that there were light snow flurries after daybreak along U.S. 76 between Blue Ridge and Ellijay.
A few icy patches reported on the roads: Most metro roads were dry early Tuesday, but the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported icing before daybreak on I-20 westbound at Salem Road, on I-285 eastbound at Ashford Dunwoody Road and on U.S. 78 westbound at Hugh Howell Road.
Another early trouble spot on the interstates involved a 5 a.m. vehicle fire on I-285 at Moreland Avenue. All northbound lanes of the Perimeter were shut down for nearly an hour as crews put out the fire and treated the ice that formed on the interstate from the water used to douse the flames. All lanes reopened about 5:50 a.m.
Attempt to stay warm leads to house fire: DeKalb County firefighters battled a predawn blaze Tuesday at a home on To-Lani Drive.
“We had some residents who had moved in and did not have their power and gas turned on yet,” DeKalb fire Chief Doug Brown told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“They were trying to keep warm with a fire in a fireplace,” Brown said. “We’re not really sure how it got out of the fire box, but it did get into the walls around the fireplace and did some pretty good damage to the living room area.”
No injuries were reported.
EF-1 tornado confirmed: Sunday night's strong storms moved out of the state on Monday, but not before spawning a tornado southeast of Macon.
The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds estimated at 105 mph touched down in Twiggs County about 10 a.m. Monday, destroying a mobile home near the Mount Olive community. The twister was on the ground for less than a mile, also damaging a barn and downing several trees.
No injuries were reported.
What's next? Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said temperatures will only rebound into the mid-30s Tuesday afternoon before falling into the low 20s by early Wednesday.
Wednesday’s high will be a little warmer, with highs reaching the mid-40s, Minton said.
The warming trend will continue Thursday and Friday, with afternoon highs in the mid-50s after morning lows in the low to mid-30s.
Click here for a detailed forecast.
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