ATLANTA — Weather whiplash alert! Buckle up, we've got a wild ride ahead over the weekend. We're tracking heavy rain and strong storms, a chance for snow, and then the coldest March temperatures for Atlanta that we've had in more than a decade!
We have a Severe Storm Threat Friday evening and early Friday night. Then a chance for snow with a Winter Weather Advisory Saturday morning. All of Saturday will be windy and cold with a Wind Advisory for north Georgia.
Here's a timeline of what to expect.
Friday Overnight
Between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. is our greatest storm potential. Although we will see plenty of heavy rain over the north side of the metro, the greater strong to severe storm chance will be south of Atlanta. Any strong storm that develops could have damaging wind gusts. The greatest tornado threat stays south of our area in south Georgia, although our tornado threat is not zero.
Meanwhile, temperatures come crashing down north of Atlanta, and we begin to see the changeover from rain to snow in northwest Georgia after 1 a.m.
Early Saturday Morning Pre-Dawn
The storms continue moving out of our area and temperatures continue to plummet. We will see the changeover from rain to snow showers moving into the north and west side of the Atlanta metro. Although ground temperatures are warm, in the best snow bursts grassy and elevated surfaces could begin to see some very light accumulations in the northwest metro.
The best window for any accumulating snowfall will be between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Saturday morning northwest of Atlanta.
Snow Totals for the northwest metro will primarily be on grassy and elevated surfaces. The ground is so warm it will melt the snow that falls. And the wet ground from rain that precedes the snow will also help melt it.
Saturday Morning After Dawn
As the sun rises Saturday morning, our available moisture for snow is quickly dwindling. Snow showers will taper off but flurries may linger through about 10 a.m.
Clouds will thin out and sunshine gradually returns.
Meanwhile, winds are picking up and it is blustery and cold outside! Wind chills will fall into the 10s and 20s for the remainder of the morning hours.
Saturday Afternoon
Although bright sunshine will look pleasant, it will be deceptive. Saturday will be windy and downright cold. Temperatures in the afternoon will be stuck in the upper 30s to low 40s around the metro. Wind chills with gusts around 40 mph will stay in the 10s and 20s!
This is not "spend time outside" weather. Those heading to Atlanta's long-running Saint Patrick's Day parade starting at noon may want to ditch the kilts for the big winter coats, gloves, hand warmers and hats. Outdoor sports practices and games will be less than ideal.
Saturday Night
With clear skies and dry air, temps will plummet overnight.
A hard freeze sets in. Several hours of temps in the 20s will likely kill all tender, sensitive spring blooms and blossoms. Bring in sensitive plants that you can. Try covering others up with a blanket for protection.
The forecast lows for the metro will be in the low to mid 20s. This will be Atlanta's coldest morning of the winter... and it's March! If we get down below 25, it will be our coldest March temperature since 2009.
Winds will start out gusty, but should start to calm after midnight.
Sunday
Luckily, this cold is very short lived. Sunday morning starts brutally cold in the low and mid 20s in the metro and 10s in the mountains.
By Sunday afternoon with ample sunshine, temps rebound once again into the 50s. A chilly but much more bearable finish to the weekend.
MORE FROM THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS
Watch 11Alive StormTrackers Chris Holcomb, Chesley McNeil, Melissa Nord, Nicole Hartford, Andrew Wilson and Samantha Mohr on-air, on 11Alive.com, in the mobile app and streaming on 11Alive’s Roku and FireTV apps with the latest weather forecast each day.
DOWNLOAD THE 11ALIVE APP:
Set up weather notifications by clicking the Gear icon in the upper right corner of the app. Select Notification à Notification Settings à Severe Weather Alerts à Toggle the Severe Weather Alerts button to the right to turn alerts on.
Send photos and videos through the app by selecting the Near Me feature on the bottom right task bar of the app and uploading your
TEXT YOUR WEATHER PHOTOS TO US: 404-885-7600
JOIN THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS FACEBOOK GROUP: Nearly 10,000 metro Atlanta and north Georgia weather enthusiasts share their weather photos every day. Click here to join the group!
