'Bomb Cyclone' To Slam GA With Snow, Forecasters Say

A winter storm watch has been issued as an "East Coast bomb cyclone" will aim for Georgia this weekend — this time bringing snow.

The low-pressure system, moving from the Northwest to the Southeast, could draw up moisture from the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean and produce wintry precipitation, Sid King, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Peachtree City office, told Patch. He added this would come as cold temperatures move through the region.

It will be the third winter storm system to hit Georgia across the last three weekends, closing January out on a bitterly cold note.

While forecasters say they are still determining whether metro Atlanta will be affected, the NWS has issued a winter storm watch from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Sunday in northeast and east-central Georgia. This includes Athens, Dahlonega and Gainesville.

Areas in these regions could experience up to 2 inches of snowfall and 35 mph wind gusts, resulting in dangerous wind chills and hazardous travel conditions, the NWS said.

Chilly temperatures for 48-60 hours along and north of Interstate 20 could lead to cold-related illness and burst pipes, according to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Due to these temperatures, snow may instantly stick to the ground, GEMA/HS said.

The agency added that this could cause additional travel impacts for towns west of the watch area, including metro Atlanta.

Snowfall could leave its footprint east of Atlanta near Athens, or it could descend an inch across metro Atlanta, King said Tuesday.

As of Thursday morning, there was a 1 in 3 chance of the storm hitting the Atlanta area. An NWS graphic showed a 50-60 percent probability for the entire metro.

Forecasters have emphasized all week that the system will primarily bring snow, not freezing rain like last weekend's storm in Georgia.

AccuWeather is calling the system a "bomb cyclone," which is a low-pressure system that quickly intensifies. Bomb cyclones can be tropical or non-tropical, the agency added.

Coastal flooding and beach erosion are possible along the Atlantic coast, AccuWeather reported.

Along the Georgia coast, in the Savannah area, the NWS predicted rain will blend with snow between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday. The snow will likely occur through the day and overnight.

There were no alerts issued for Savannah as of Thursday morning.

"As the storm develops Friday in the southern U.S., spotty rain will break out along the Gulf coast, the Florida Peninsula and the southern Atlantic coast. Farther inland over Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas, the patches of snow or a mixture of rain and snow will unfold. As the storm strengthens from Friday night into Saturday, the extent and intensity of snow and wintry mix will increase across Georgia and the Carolinas," AccuWeather reported.

The lowest wind chills, or apparent temperatures, will largely come between Saturday evening and early Sunday morning. Around 6 a.m. Sunday, temperatures will feel like 0 degrees in Rome and Griffin.

Wind chills will be in the negatives in Atlanta, Blairsville, Canton, Carrollton, Dalton, Gainesville, LaGrange and Marietta at that time.

Gov. Brian Kemp previously ordered a state of emergency for last weekend's storm. It is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, and as of early morning, he had not extended it.