The calendar says that spring began at 7:02 a.m. Wednesday, but Old Man Winter says to ignore what the calendar says.
“We’re not done with winter yet,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said, forecasting sub-freezing temperatures for Wednesday night and the possibility of snow or sleet Thursday night and early Friday.
The National Weather Service said that a storm system moving quickly across the Tennessee Valley region Thursday night and Friday morning will bring a chance of snow, sleet and rain to north Georgia.
The precipitation should be mainly snow across the far northern counties, with the possibility of a snow/sleet mix south into metro Atlanta.
“No accumulations are expected except in the higher elevations, where a dusting could occur,” the Weather Service said.
Minton said there’s also a slight chance of a wintry mix of precipitation across the mountain counties late Wednesday.
Temperatures should warm to around 60 degrees for Wednesday’s first day of spring, but will plummet into the upper 20s across metro Atlanta overnight, Minton said.
Afternoon highs will only be around 50 degrees Thursday and Friday, with lows Thursday night expected to be in the mid-30s, according to Minton.
She said there’s a chance for the wintry mix of precipitation across metro Atlanta, particularly the northwest suburbs, late Thursday night into early Friday morning.
“We could see a little snow, a little sleet, a little rain, but it won’t last very long,” Minton said.
There’s a 50 percent chance of rain later in the day on Friday, increasing to 60 percent Saturday, when highs will again be in the low 50s after morning lows in the low 40s.
Minton’s forecast for Sunday calls for a 50 percent chance of rain, highs near 60 degrees and lows in the 40s.
The clean-up continued Wednesday from damage caused by Monday’s round of severe storms.
Schools were closed Wednesday in Chattooga County in the northwest corner of the state, and Georgia Power reported about 2,700 customers still without power in that part of the state.
Some Decatur residents were also without power Wednesday after a large oak tree came crashing down onto a house.
There were two people and their pets inside the home in the 700 block of South McDonough Street when the tree toppled around 5 a.m., according to Decatur fire Lt. Roman Ridgway.
Ridgway said there were no injuries to the residents or their pets.
“Everyone on this block is out of power,” Ridgway said, adding that South McDonough Street would likely remain blocked through Wednesday afternoon as crews worked to remove the huge tree.
Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
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