Once again, it’s warmer in Alaska than it is in Atlanta. And it’s going to stay that way until the weekend before it gets warmer, or at least out of the 30s.
The arctic blast that pushed a burst of frigid weather through north Georgia will linger through the end of the week, forecasters said. Friday’s low will dip again to the teens, according to meteorologist David Chandley with Channel 2 Action News. The good news is that it will stay dry.
“We’ll have plenty of sun again on Thursday, but we’ll struggle to get out of the 30s,” Chandley said.
Temperatures will dip again Thursday night before a Friday morning low of 15, Chandley said. Wind chills will make it seem colder, he said.
Atlanta’s official low early Wednesday of 16 degrees was 18 degrees below normal but 6 degrees shy of the record low (10) for the date, set in 1961. By comparison, the temperature early Wednesday in Fairbanks, Alaska, was 29. The temperature in Anchorage? A toasty 34.
Clifford Irving, who has been a skycap at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for 30 years, was prepared for Wednesday’s chill.
“You just dress warm, extra clothing,” the Jamaican native said.
Irving even had hand-warmers handy to keep his fingers usable.
“As long as my hands are warm, I’m good,” he said.
The colder temperatures led to increased numbers filling the city’s shelters, which weren’t reporting at capacity, but still saw a spike in residents.
At the Jefferson Place shelter for men, 150 beds and 75 overflow cots were readied to help keep the homeless off the streets during the bitter cold, Mia Redd, the shelter’s quality assurance manager, said Wednesday afternoon.
During the cold blast about three weeks ago, Redd said overnight residents numbered almost 200. So far, that hasn’t been the case with this bout of cold temperatures. But shelter leaders are ready for the increase in residents at both Jefferson Place and Springdale Place for women and children, she said.
“We won’t turn them away,” Redd said. “We will make room for everyone here.”
Those in need of emergency shelter in downtown Atlanta should call 404-613-0412.
By the weekend, warmer temperatures are expected, Chandley said. Saturday should warm to the upper 40s and Sunday should hit 50 degrees by the afternoon, he said.
— Staff photographer John Spink and staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
About the Author
