ATLANTA — Although it hasn't felt like it for the first half of the month, the third quarter of the month will put the "Brrr" in October!
We're expecting the coldest temperatures since April to arrive and last through the rest of the week.
We are issuing an 11 Alive Weather Impact Alert for Wednesday and Thursday mornings for the coldest air of the season so far. Although the cold will not be life-threatening, it will be a huge difference from the warmth we have seen for October so-far.
When: Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.
What: the coldest air since April. Lows in the 40s for the city. Lows will drop into the mid-upper 30s in the north Georgia mountains.
Impact: You'll need to bring out your colder weather wardrobe this week! This means bigger jackets and coats for the bus stop in the mornings. For the mountains, temperatures will be in frost territory each morning. Some locations could get close to the freezing mark too. You'll need to protect sensitive plants that are more susceptible to the cold. Cover them with a sheet or bring them inside during these colder nights.
Why?
An incoming cold front is sending in Canadian High Pressure for the rest of the week. This brings in a cooler air mass and lower humidity.
This week's cold will come with an extra dose of 'sticker shock' because of how unusually warm the first half of the month has been. To date, Atlanta is running about 4.6 degrees warmer than usual for the month.
How cold will it get tonight?
On Tuesday morning, temperatures in Atlanta will fall into the upper 40s. Colder temperatures will be felt elsewhere! The suburbs are likely to experience mid-40s. For far western Georgia and the north Georgia mountains, the low 40s are likely. A few colder spots in the mountains will drop into the 30s.
Morning lows the rest of the week
Lows in the city will stay in the low 40s for the remainder of the week. On the coldest days, temperatures in the mountains will drop into the 30s.
Frost Advisories will likely be issued. A couple of mornings, we will also experience close to freezing temperatures.
Cool but Bright Afternoons
Although each morning will be very cold, afternoons will warm up considerably with sunshine. Nevertheless, these will be the area's coolest "days" since April. To round out the week, afternoons will be in the low and mid-60s. By the weekend, the afternoons rebound into the 70s.
Light sweaters and jackets will remain in rotation for the afternoons, but you won't need the heavy coat for the entire day!
Is this Unusually Early to be this cold?
No, not at all. Atlanta averages its first morning in the 40s around October 9th, based on climatological data from 1991-2020. We typically don't see our first morning in the 30s in the city until the end of the month, around October 29th.
Atlanta typically doesn't see its first sub-freezing temperature until mid-November.
In the north Georgia mountains, mornings in the 30s are very common by the second half of October.
Based on data from the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, many of our communities in Fannin, Towns, and Union counties average the third week of October for the first freeze of the season as well.
