ATLANTA FORECAST
Monday: High: 49
Monday night: Low: 28
Tuesday: High: 46
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
It never got warm Monday, and it’s definitely not going to get any warmer overnight.
Atlanta should hit a low of 28 degrees, and parts of the south metro area will likely see some sleet and snowflakes, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
“We will all be cold enough for it, but the moisture will be limited to the southern metro,” Nitz said. “It’ll come and be gone very quickly.”
He emphasized that it should just be a dusting and any precipitation will be very light. The area that could see the wintry mix spans from LaGrange to Eatonton.
In preparation for the sub-freezing temperatures, a warming center will open at 10 p.m. at the Old Adamsville Recreation Center at 3404 Delmar Lane until Tuesday morning, Atlanta officials said in a news release.
This comes after parts of metro Atlanta saw flurries early Monday morning, with Channel 2 viewers reporting snow in east Cobb, Chamblee and an area south of Perimeter Mall on Ashford Dunwoody Road. Channel 2 meteorologists said this is the coldest March air North Georgia has seen in two years.
This all happened while communities in Alabama and southwest Georgia surveyed the damage after a series of tornadoes ripped through the region.
A cold front that brought heavy rain and storms through North Georgia on Sunday afternoon caused an outbreak of tornadoes that killed at least 23 people in Alabama. The storms left damage across the Florida Panhandle and South Georgia.
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Deadly storm has Georgia officials awaiting daybreak to assess damage
Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in Grady, Harris and Talbot counties in southwest Georgia.
ALSO: Georgia governor declares disaster in 3 counties hit by tornadoes
“This time of year you just get that mix of winter's not ready to give up, spring is starting to come in,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “And as those two kind of meet, you get tornado outbreaks like this. The next couple of months are our peak severe weather season of the year.”
A fairly light traffic day for Atlanta is ending in typical fashion with a cluttered evening commute, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
A Cobb County crash on I-75 North past North Marietta Parkway is blocking the right lane, the Traffic Center reported.
A water main break on Fairburn Road near Cascade Road is also affecting nearby traffic, according to county and city officials.
MORE: Water main break causes flooding, boil water advisory for 5 cities
North Georgia started Monday in the upper 30s and won’t get out of the 40s all day, with a strong breeze from the northwest making it feel about 10 degrees colder outside, Monahan said. At 5:30 p.m., Atlanta is at 42 degrees, but it feels like 34.
Temperatures should be closer to 60 degrees this time of year, but the numbers will continue to drop over the next few days, according to Channel 2.
“Atlanta, we haven’t been below freezing since Jan. 31,” Monahan said. “Oh, that’s going to change.”
Because the temperatures will vary over the next few weeks, it’s not safe to plant yet. The middle of April is the best time to get the gardening tools out, he said.
After a slight chance of rain Tuesday morning, North Georgia is going to get a few days to dry out, according to Channel 2. That’s good news for already high lake levels across the northern part of the state, Monahan said.
North Georgia will warm up by the end of the week, but that will bring in another chance of rain, he said. There could be a few strong storms by next Sunday, according to the latest forecast.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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