I ran out of adjectives to describe this morning, but it was absolutely frigid across the Metro Atlanta area!
Actual temperatures dropped into the low teens across the area.
Wind gusts this morning were around 8 to 12 mph, which was enough to send wind chills into the single digits. A few locations even registered a few degrees below zero!
The bitter cold will linger for the next several days, and hard freeze conditions will prevail through the overnight and early morning hours through the weekend.
Afternoon temperatures will gradually climb into the mid 40s through the rest of this week, however this is still trending 10-15 degrees below average.
Heads up for next weekend: Another Arctic blast will move through the Southeast for this weekend.
Temperatures within this Arctic air will be roughly 20 degrees below average. As a result, daytime highs on Saturday may stay in the upper 20s, and overnight lows on Sunday may drop to the low teens once again.
There are some signals for some wintry weather somewhere in the Southeast, however the signal is too low for the Metro Atlanta area as of this time. As always, stay tuned to the forecast for any changes this weekend.
Protect the 4 P’s: People, Pets, Pipes and Plants
- PEOPLE still have to work outdoors: If that includes you, layers are your friend, vs one single “big coat”. Layers help trap your body heat, keeping you warmer for longer. For those who spend limited time outside, keep a warm blanket or extra jacket in your vehicle as a “just in case” in the event you have to deal with car trouble
- PETS: PLEASE bring the pets inside! They may have a fur coat, but extended time outside in these conditions is still hazardous for them, and we don’t want them to succumb to the elements
- PIPES: Leave the faucets dripping -- yes, it’s a few pennies down the drain, but that’s better than thousands of dollars in frozen pipe damage
- PLANTS -- At this point, if you haven’t moved your houseplants indoors, well.... I don’t know what to tell you. BUT, we still have plenty of farms and agricultural organizations here in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Any outdoor crops will need to be covered, etc for this cold spell.