Metro Atlantans awakened to temperatures in the mid-20s early Friday, and afternoon highs won’t get out of the 40s. But Friday’s weather will seem warm compared to what’s forecast for next week.
Readings just before daybreak Friday included 23 degrees in Dallas, 24 in Dunwoody and 25 in Marietta, Chamblee and Alpharetta, 26 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and 27 in Peachtree City.
Those temperatures were about 20 degrees below normal and colder than in some parts of Alaska, where it was 28 in Anchorage early Friday.
Brisk northwesterly winds dropped the wind chill early Friday into the teens across metro Atlanta, and there were even a few reports of a few snowflakes blowing around.
The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City reported flurries at 8 a.m., while far to the south, Albany reported flurries at 6 and 7 a.m.
Daryl Jones of Atlanta was wearing extra clothing as he battled the cold outside the MARTA Five Points station.
“It’s super cold out here,” Jones told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m just trying to stay warm. I put on two pair of socks and I’ve got insulated pants on and I’ve got my insulated jacket on.”
While a slight warm-up is forecast for the weekend, another Arctic blast due to arrive next Tuesday will send north Georgia into the deep freeze again.
Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said highs Friday will be in the mid-40s, followed by lows early Saturday around 27. Sunny skies are forecast for Saturday afternoon, along with highs in the upper 40s.
There’s a 70 percent chance of rain late Sunday into Monday, with highs both days in the mid-50s. Morning lows will be in the mid-30s Sunday and mid-40s Monday, Minton said.
Tuesday will start out cold, with lows around 27, and the mercury won’t rise much during the afternoon, Minton said, topping out in the upper 30s.
Tuesday night, lows could plunge into the upper teens, forecasters said.
— Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
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