ATLANTA — We just survived 23 hours at or below freezing earlier this week. Over the weekend, we'll spend nearly double that.
The 11Alive StormTrackers are forecasting a second intrusion of cold, arctic air that will send the city back below the freezing mark for more than 40 hours.
Temperatures drop below the freezing mark Friday evening, and will not climb back above it until Sunday afternoon. In parts of the north Georgia mountains like Blairsville and Blue Ridge, the consecutive sub-freezing hours could be more than 50.
For comparison, we do not expect to be sub-freezing in the city for as many hours as the December 2022 cold snap, when Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport spent nearly 56 hours in the ice box. Many woke up Christmas morning to the sound of sprinkler system alarms going off as burst pipes sent a stream of water into apartment homes and far from holiday joy.
But this weekend's ticking time bomb of below-freezing temperatures could create a larger hazard of pipes freezing and bursting than what we experienced earlier this week.
The colder air continues to sink into the region and settles for the beginning of Saturday. The wind won't help us, making it feel even colder. Here are the wind chills throughout the day on Saturday.
The dangerous cold takes grasp of the area through the weekend. Wind chills drop down into the negatives and single-digits across the area Saturday and Sunday mornings. We are forecasting wind chills close to 0° in the Atlanta area Saturday morning. Sunday morning, we'll also wake up with some single-digit feels-like temps.
There is a Wind Chill Advisory for the metro area and north Georgia that is in place until noon on Saturday and it will be in place again Saturday night into Sunday morning.
To prepare for this longer sub-freezing cold, here are some reminders:
1) Winterize your house -- especially your pipes! If you squeezed by okay Tuesday into Wednesday, it doesn't necessarily mean you're in the clear for this weekend. Put covers on the outdoor spigots. Turn the water off to exterior water pipes if possible, and drain the water out. This includes sprinkler systems for your yard. For inside preps, if you had issues in December 2022, take better precautions this time around. Insulate exposed pipes that may be in attic or crawl spaces. Leave cabinet doors open with a drip in the faucet. Check on your exposed pipes during the freeze, and if you notice it icing/freezing -- take a hair dryer to thaw the ice before the pipe bursts.
2) Bring In Pets -- Your furry family members are also susceptible to this dangerous cold. If you have outdoor dogs/cats, make sure they have a warmer place to stay over the weekend. Bring them inside or at least into another shelter area with a warmer place to stay, like a garage
3) Limit Time Outside/Exposed Skin -- If you need to work or be outside, limit how much time you will be out and how much skin is exposed. Cover your hands and heads. Wear multiple layers. The risk of hypothermia and frostbite greatly increase as our wind chills fall below zero.
