The forecast
Channel 2 Action News meteorologists predict winter precipitation for North Georgia and metro Atlanta.
Morning: Rain, at times heavy, will start in the early morning and will persist through the afternoon in metro Atlanta. Temperatures in the high 30s.
Afternoon: More rain with temperatures dipping closer to freezing.
Evening: Rain will turn to a wintry mix including snow in North Georgia and in metro Atlanta. Snow could be heavy in N. Georgia. Metro Atlanta could get anywhere from a dusting to 2 inches between late Friday and Saturday morning.
Saturday: More snow for North Georgia in the morning, as cold temperatures and precipitation persist.
Widespread snow could reach metro Atlanta by late Friday and early Saturday morning, prompting a winter weather advisory for the area, a winter storm warning for far North Georgia, an expanded state of emergency for multiple counties and an order for state government to close offices by noon Friday.
Rain predicted before the snowfall could throw a wrench in the state’s plans to treat roadways for possible ice in some areas, state officials said Thursday.
A winter weather advisory for accumulating snow and ice will be in effect from 3 p.m. Friday through 7 p.m. Saturday for metro Atlanta, and a winter storm warning for far North Georgia through 7 p.m. Saturday.
Metro Atlanta could get a dusting to 2 inches of snow and a quarter inch of ice, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologists. Higher elevations in North Georgia could get more than a foot of snow, while other areas of North Georgia are expected to get between 2 and 8 inches.
In addition to ordering state government offices to close by noon Friday, Gov. Nathan Deal ordered state agency heads to encourage employees to telecommute where appropriate and called on local governments and private businesses in metro Atlanta and North Georgia to do the same.
The frigid weather is part of a new weather system that will move through the area following one that dumped several inches of snow in the far North Georgia mountains earlier this week.
The Mid-Atlantic region is preparing for up to 2 feet of heavy, wet snow and blizzard conditions, and major airlines, including Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, were canceling or adjusting flight schedules Thursday.
State of emergency
Deal added more counties to a state of emergency order that is in effect through midnight Sunday. The counties covered by his emergency order include Banks, Catoosa, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White and Whitfield counties.
Several school districts announced they will close Friday, including those in Banks, Hall, Habersham and Lumpkin counties, while others planned to close early.
Deal said the one-two punch of rain then snowfall could hinder state emergency preparations that rely on the use of brine on the roadways.
“If it comes with the rain first – which is now predicted to do – we cannot put the brine on the roads while it’s raining,” the governor said. “We need a period for the rain to dry out before we put the brine. We’ll make decisions based on the facts as we see them.”
Despite the tricky timetable, Georgia Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Butterworth said the state is “absolutely” prepared no matter how the forecasts shift.
“We’re going to have some rain in the morning, the rain is going to stop, and then the wintry precipitation is going to begin,” Butterworth said. “The timing is going to be key. And communication is going to be an absolute necessity.”
Deal said the timing could also work in Georgia’s favor since the brunt of the storm is set to hit over the weekend, when school is out and Georgia’s notoriously clogged highways are less traveled.
Rain, then snow up north
Channel 2 Action News meteorologists said a mix of rain and freezing rain will hit far northeast Georgia at 7 a.m. Friday. Metro Atlanta will start the day wet, with a period of heavy rain and thunderstorms for the morning commute, meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
Colder air will continue to blow in through the late afternoon, and precipitation will start to change over to light snow showers and flurries around 9 p.m. Friday across metro Atlanta and North Georgia, Nitz said.
Those snow flurries are expected to continue overnight into early Saturday morning. Nitz said snow flurries will be widespread across metro Atlanta and North Georgia, but they should taper off by later Saturday morning.
In addition to the rain and snow forecast, there is a wind advisory until 7 p.m. Friday for North Georgia. Wind gusts of up to 40 mph may knock out power lines and down trees Friday north of Atlanta, according to Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton.
There’s a 100 percent chance of rain and a high of 39 degrees Friday. Highs are expected to reach 37 on Saturday, the upper 40s Sunday and move into the mid-50s Monday. The low Friday is expected to be around 39 before dropping to below freezing Saturday and Sunday, and just above freezing Monday.
The winter weather advisory means periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties.
“Our team is ready,” Butterworth, the GEMA director, said Thursday ahead of the winter storm. “This is what we do. We’ll be prepared. That’s the key.”
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