A cloudy and cold day is in the forecast for Atlanta, and temperatures will struggle to climb into the upper 30s this afternoon.

In addition to the cloud cover, a drizzly fog continues to drift over Metro Atlanta as temperatures hover around freezing.

Temperatures have been the coldest along the I-75 corridor throughout Cobb, Cherokee and Bartow counties, with temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s throughout the Northwest region of Metro Atlanta.

The fog droplets are light enough that widespread impacts are not expected during Metro Atlanta commuting hours, however, it is best to remain cautious through the afternoon and evening.

From the National Weather Service in Peachtree City:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA

1004 AM EST FRI JAN 21 2022

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1004 AM EST FRI JAN 21 2022

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...LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING INTO MID AFTERNOON

ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...

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SOME LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH

GEORGIA (INCLUDING THE ATLANTA METRO) AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA

THIS MORNING INTO AFTERNOON THAT COULD CAUSE SOME PATCHY SLICK

SPOTS ON ROADWAYS, ESPECIALLY ON ELEVATED SURFACES SUCH AS BRIDGES

AND OVERPASSES. THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTS OF THIS IN PARTS

OF THE AREA. MOTORISTS SHOULD TAKE CAUTION. WHILE TEMPERATURES

LOOK TO WARM ABOVE FREEZING FOR MUCH OF THE AREA BY EARLY TO MID

AFTERNOON, SOME PARTS OF FAR NORTH GEORGIA COULD STILL STAY NEAR

FREEZING SO ISOLATED SLICK SPOTS COULD REMAIN LATER.

“Bridge Ices Before Road”: What does that mean?

No doubt you have seen the sign that reads, “Bridge Ices Before Road”.

The phrase is highly abbreviated in order to fit all of the words on the sign, but what it is communicating to you is that any water on or within the road is going to freeze over elevated areas -- like a bridge or overpass -- before any other stretch of road.

But why does this happen?

The temperature of the ground below a road is usually much warmer than the air temperature, so even with freezing cold air, the road temperature remains above freezing due to the warm ground temperatures.

However, air is able to pass both above and below the roadway on a bridge, which allows for greater cooling of the road temperatures. Evaporative cooling can also occur on elevated surfaces, further causing areas of black ice and icy patches on the bridge or overpass.

In the mornings, I make it a habit to check the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Road Temperature sensors to get a sense of the air temperatures versus the road conditions. That information is available on the National Weather Service’s website.

Additional information regarding staying safe on the road during wintry weather is available on GDOT’s website.

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