The coldest air since last winter sent the mercury plummeting into the teens across parts of metro Atlanta early Wednesday, but temperatures are expected to warm into the 60s by week's end.
While Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was at 23 degrees at 5 a.m., Peachtree City reported 17 and it was 19 degrees in Alpharetta.
Wednesday morning’s bitter cold temperatures reached all the way to south Georgia, where it was 23 degrees in Valdosta.
In the mountains, predawn readings in the low teens prompted school officials in Towns and Union counties to delay the start of classes for two hours Wednesday.
The bitter cold temperatures led to scattered icy patches wherever there was water on metro roadways.
The AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB Traffic Center reported that black ice possibly caused a wreck before daybreak on North Decatur Road at DeKalb Industrial Way.
If there was any good news to the cold morning, it was that the brisk winds that pushed the wind chill into the single digits on Tuesday had diminished by early Wednesday.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said that after only reaching a high of 35 on Tuesday, temperatures should make it into the mid-40s Wednesday afternoon.
Lows Wednesday night will only drop into the low 30s, Minton said.
She said highs will be in the mid-50s on Thursday and low 60s on Friday, with plenty of sunshine forecast for both days.
Minton’s weekend forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of rain and highs in the low 60s on Saturday, followed by partly cloudy skies and highs in the 50s on Sunday.
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