Atlanta’s New Year’s weather: Cold temps, possible ‘brief’ snow

The five-day forecast calls for cold temperatures and possible light snow late Sunday.

The five-day forecast calls for cold temperatures and possible light snow late Sunday.

If you’re not among the University of Georgia fans who will be in the 70-degree Rose Bowl weather in Pasadena, Calif., be ready for chilly weather and maybe some snow in metro Atlanta on New Year’s weekend.

“An arctic front on Saturday will set the stage for a cold New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls said Thursday. “Sunday lows will be in the upper 20s with highs only in the upper 30s.”

This is particularly important for people who plan to attend that Atlanta tradition, the Peach Drop, at the Flatiron Building near Woodruff Park. Though the main event comes at midnight, access points are set to open at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, officials said.

“Bundle up,” Walls said. Temperatures at 6 p.m. “will run in the mid-30s (with wind chills in the upper 20s), cooling into the mid-20s (wind chills in the upper teens) around midnight.”

Some forecasts have mentioned “snow” and “wintry mix,” but Walls emphasized New Year’s Eve is several days away, and many forecast models don’t go beyond four days.

As of Thursday morning, Walls sees the possibility of “a brief rain/snow mix” in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve. “Accumulation, if any, will be minimal.”

As for New Year’s Day, the temp will be in the mid-20s, the coldest this winter, Walls said. The high should be in the mid-30s, and the cold, dry air means no precipitation is expected.

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