The mercury plunged deep into the teens in parts of metro Atlanta early Wednesday, but forecasters are predicting temperatures in the 70s by the end of the weekend.
Temperatures before daybreak included 14 degrees in Cartersville, 15 in Dallas, 16 in Peachtree City and 17 in Alpharetta and Jonesboro. Other readings included 19 in Marietta and 22 in Chamblee.
Georgians weren’t the only ones dealing with January-like winter in mid-November. A ferocious storm that has been blamed for at least six deaths in New York, New Hampshire and Michigan dumped massive piles of snow on parts of upstate New York, stranding motorists as temperatures in all 50 states fell to freezing or below.
Atlanta’s official thermometer at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport read 21 degrees at 6 a.m., just 3 degrees away from the record low for the date of 18, set in 1903.
Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton is predicting an afternoon high Wednesday of 47, 10 degrees warmer than Tuesday’s high of 37.
The warmup will continue Thursday, when highs in the mid-50s will follow morning lows around the freezing mark, Minton said. Temperatures should reach the upper 50s Friday after starting out in the upper 30s, she said.
Minton’s outlook for the weekend is for partly cloudy skies Saturday, with highs in the upper 50s and lows in the upper 30s.
Sunday will be much warmer, with highs around 70 degrees and lows in the upper 40s, Minton said, adding that there’s an 80 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms late in the day on Sunday. Some of those storms could be severe, she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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