It's hard to exaggerate how cold it is in Atlanta today: a freeze warning gripped the metro area Thursday night and this morning, as temperatures dipped into the mid-20s: "Those temperatures were about 20 degrees below normal and colder than in some parts of Alaska, where it was 28 in Anchorage," wrote the AJC's Mike Morris.

Today's temperatures were the lowest since February, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller -- and February was the last time a serious winter storm hit Atlanta, just weeks after a January storm paralyzed the metro area's roadways and stranded many of its citizens.

The city awoke unhappy.

On the other hand:

Temperatures will slowly rise through the beginning of next week, with Monday lows in the mid-40s, before plunging Tuesday night -- possibly into the teens. Be sure to review our cold weathet tips on plants, pets and people. Tip No. 1: Stay indoors.

The good news is: Georgia's coldest day on record was much worse, at -17 degrees, in Floyd County, in 1940.

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Blue heron are just one of the hundreds of kinds of animals and plants that call the Okefenokee Swamp home. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

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The renovation of Jekyll Island's Great Dunes golf course includes nine holes designed by Walter Travis in the 1920s for the members of the Jekyll Island Club. Several holes that were part of the original layout where located along the beach and were bulldozed in the 1950s.(Photo by Austin Kaseman)

Credit: Photo by Austin Kaseman