A coastal storm is expected to develop off the Carolina Coast on Saturday and move north on Sunday, bringing another round of winter weather to Georgia this weekend, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.
What’s Happening: The storm will interact with frigid temperatures across the eastern United States, creating conditions for heavy snow west of the storm’s offshore track. The Weather Prediction Center issued a moderate winter storm impact forecast from 7 p.m. Friday through 7 p.m. Monday Eastern Time.
What’s Important: The National Weather Service says there’s uncertainty about how far offshore the low pressure system will track, which determines the rain and snow line in the Carolinas and how far inland snow extends. Strong onshore winds are expected at least along the coast, and coastal flood concerns coincide with a full moon.
What We Don’t Know: The Weather Prediction Center says the magnitude of coastal impacts from strong winds and rough surf coinciding with astronomically high tide remains uncertain. The impacts to travel and infrastructure from combinations of snow and wind are also unknown.
The Path Forward: The storm follows a major winter event that hit Georgia last weekend. Confidence in coastal impacts including strong onshore winds and coastal flooding has increased in the past 24 hours, but a wide range of potential scenarios remains for winter hazards, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
ON SNOWPOCALYPSE:
“Like most metro Atlanta residents at the time, I dismissed the warnings and scoffed at the meteorologists who cried “snow” at the drop of a thermometer. After all, in Atlanta, snow forecasts are as reliable as Hollywood marriages. The reflexive grocery stampedes for bread, milk, and eggs seemed like a seasonal ritual more for omelet enthusiasts than survivalists.”
