ATLANTA — A strong cold front has ushered in much cooler air. Temperatures Thursday morning bottomed out in the 30s and 40s, 20-30 degrees colder than temps just 24 hours ago, and it's getting even colder as we near the weekend. Friday morning will be the chilliest of this cold snap.
Lows tonight will fall into the 30s across north Georgia with near or below freezing temperatures for many. These temperatures in the metro will be the coldest since early this past spring -- the last time Atlanta was in the 30s was March 19.
While temperatures will certainly be cold enough to support frost development, strong winds will likely keep us frost-free Friday morning.
The breezy winds will also put a bite on the already cold temperatures. Sustained winds of 10-20 mph are expected. Gusts could be up to 25-35 mph, and may be even higher in the north Georgia mountains.
Feels-like temperatures will be in the 20s area-wide Friday morning. In the north Georgia mountains, wind chill may even fall into the teens.
Friday will be the coldest and windiest morning. Temperatures will slowly warm as winds calm into the weekend.
Lows stay in the 30s Saturday morning, but it won't be quite as breezy.
Afternoon temperatures will stay cool -- in the 50s through Saturday then rebounding above normal by Sunday.
While this cold snap may be a shock to the system, temperatures in the 30s this time of year aren't unusual. In fact, Atlanta's average first freeze based on climate data from 1991-2020 is November 16.
It may feel out of place because of the unusually warm fall we've had across north Georgia thus far. This year is the second warmest meteorological fall on record to this point, and it will be a close race against 2016 to be the warmest on record by the time meteorological fall ends on November 30.
