The mercury plunged below freezing across much of metro Atlanta early Friday, with some suburban areas reporting readings in the upper 20s, and after warming into the 50s during the day, temperatures will fall back into the 30s Friday night.
Readings at 7 a.m. included 26 in Peachtree City, 28 in Alpharetta and Dallas, 30 in Marietta and 32 in Chamblee and at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for 3 to 8 a.m. Friday for most of the east and south metro area, from Gainesville on the north to Macon on the south. Tender vegetation and indoor house plants left outdoors could be damaged or killed if not protected.
Early Saturday, there's a freeze warning in effect that stretches deep into south Georgia, as far south as Americus and Cordele.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said skies will be sunny throughout the weekend, with highs in the mid-50s on Friday, warming to the mid-60s on Saturday and Sunday.
Overnight lows will be in the low to mid-30s Friday night, and in the mid-40s on Saturday night.
While many of the suburbs have already seen freezing temperatures this fall, the lowest reading prior to Friday at Atlanta's official reporting station at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was 39 on a couple of late-October mornings.
On average, Atlanta's first freeze usually comes around Nov. 7 to 11, the Weather Service said. Last year's first freeze was on Nov. 7, but in 2009, the first fall freeze wasn't recorded until Dec. 5.
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