The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for north Georgia, excluding the Atlanta metro area, from 1 a.m. Saturday through 10 a.m. Monday.
What’s Happening: The watch covers areas north of Atlanta where forecasters expect up to 4 inches of snow and sleet and more than a quarter-inch of ice. The watch was issued based on the earliest possible onset time of wintry precipitation.
What’s Important: The watch area could expand southward in coming days. Longer-range weather models typically handle cold air wedges poorly, creating uncertainty about how far south wintry precipitation will extend.
How This Affects Real People: Residents in the watch area should prepare for hazardous travel conditions and potential power outages from ice accumulation. The National Weather Service advises protecting people, pets, plants, and pipes.
The Path Forward: The storm’s exact track will determine whether north Georgia sees primarily snow or a dangerous mix of freezing rain and ice. A southern track means more snow for north and central Georgia. A northern track increases the chance of freezing rain across the region. Either scenario could disrupt travel and cause power outages through the weekend.
What’s Still Unknown: Three main uncertainties remain: the track of the main surface low pressure system, the strength of the cold air wedge, and how far south the wedge will extend. These factors will determine which areas see snow versus freezing rain.
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.”
