Extreme Cold Watch Issued For Atlanta Metro, Snow Chances Increase

GEORGIA — Bitterly cold temperatures are predicted to move into Georgia late this weekend and persist into next week when chances for snow return to the Atlanta metro.

The National Weather Service on Saturday issued an extreme cold watch for Atlanta and the rest of northern Georgia. The watch goes into effect Sunday night and continues through Monday morning.

According to the NWS alert, low temperatures are expected to dip below 20 degrees on Sunday night and gusty winds reaching 20 mph will push down wind chills to near or below zero across most of northern Georgia.

"Areas within the watch area will likely be upgraded to an extreme cold warning in the next 24-36 hours," NWS forecasters said. "All areas outside the watch could still see exceptionally cold temperatures with wind chills reaching from 15 down to the single digits."

Temperatures in the Atlanta area are expected to remain in the 30s through much of next week before reaching 40 degrees on Friday.

Meanwhile, a winter storm may impact north and central Georgia on Tuesday and early Wednesday. While forecasters said uncertainty is high on exactly how much accumulation will occur, impacts are likely across the affected areas.

According to Saturday's forecast, there's a 50 percent of snow showers on Tuesday, mainly after 1 p.m. Snow could continue to fall through early Wednesday morning.

Here's the detailed NWS forecast for the Atlanta metro:

Saturday Night: A chance of showers before 1am, then a slight chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: A 10 percent chance of showers before 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 37 by 5pm. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 17. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 31. Northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20.

Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34.

Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 34.