Georgia Weather: Zero-Degree Wind Chills Possible

ATLANTA, GA — As metro Atlanta prepares to ring in the New Year, the National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the area, with dangerous wind chills expected to make north Georgia feel like it's around zero degrees.

Starting Sunday afternoon, some moisture interacting with that cold air could lead to some light sleet or freezing rain — mainly from metro Atlanta westward toward the Alabama state line.

The service's advisory is in effect as of 10 p.m. Sunday for portions of north Georgia, mainly along and north of a line from Summerville to Jasper to Cleveland. As temperatures plunge, "very cold wind chill values" will dip down to 0-5 degrees.

That level of cold can cause frostbite and hypothermia, the weather service said in its outlook.

If there is sleet and freezing rain, no measurable accumulations are expected, according to the NWS. Some light patches of ice, however, are possible on elevated surfaces and overpasses.

On Monday through next Sunday, an arctic air mass will persist in the metro Atlanta area. Several mornings next week will have temperatures in the teens and lower 20s, according to the NWS.

In the mountain areas of north Georgia, lows could get down into the single digits, with wind chills dropping to, or near, zero early Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

The weather service urges people to dress properly for conditions and avoid extended periods of cold weather exposure when possible.

Sunday's forecast from the weather service calls for cloudy skies with a high near 38 degrees. Sunday night, temperatures will plunge down to around 22, with wind gusts as high as 15 m.p.h.

On New Year's Day, the high will barely crack freezing, reaching 34 degrees, while Monday night's low is forecast to go all the way down to a frigid 17 degrees, with wind gusts as high as 20 m.p.h.

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