Metro Atlanta weather: Cold temperatures stick around
ATLANTA - Temperatures plunged into the teens and 20s across metro Atlanta and North Georgia early Monday, with wind chills making it feel even colder, and the cold will return Monday night.
The backstory:
Blairsville dropped to 11°, Gainesville hit 21°, Atlanta bottomed out near 22°, and Coweta County dipped to 19°. Carrollton fell to 15°, but felt more like 10° once the wind chill was factored in.
Across the metro, wind chills ranged from the single digits to the teens, including 13° in Atlanta and 17° in Griffin. Cherokee County briefly hit a bone-chilling 3° before inching upward.
Compared to the same time Sunday — as the arctic front was arriving — temperatures ran 23° to nearly 40° colder across the region.
Brief warm-up this afternoon, then another freeze tonight
What we know:
A Cold Weather Advisory expired at 8 a.m. Monday, but wind chills will remain in the single digits and teens through the morning before improving later today, according to FOX 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alex Forbes.
Highs will only reach the low to mid-40s this afternoon across metro Atlanta and north Georgia, peaking between 2 and 4 p.m. Clear skies may allow temperatures to rise briefly, but another sharp drop arrives tonight.
Atlanta is forecast to fall back into the upper teens overnight before recovering to around 30° by midmorning Tuesday.
Effects of cold in metro Atlanta
Local perspective:
Officials in Atlanta say the extreme cold led to several isolated water main breaks, all of which have since been repaired. Plumbers are urging households to drip faucets again tonight to protect pipes.
Cold weather across North Georgia
North Georgia is dealing with cold weather, and it's not quite done yet.
Cities and counties across the region are working to protect people facing homelessness.
In Atlanta, winter weather shelters will operate through Wednesday morning.
In DeKalb County, shelters will operate through Tuesday.
Moderating temperatures this week
What's next:
A gradual warmup begins Tuesday, with Atlanta reaching 54° after a frigid 27° start. Clouds increase Wednesday with highs near 58°.
Rain arrives in the second half of Thursday into early Friday, but clears quickly, leaving Friday afternoon dry. Temperatures then climb through the weekend, reaching near 65° on Sunday — just as winter officially begins.
The Source: Information in this article came from the FOX 5 Storm Team forecast and FOX 5's Marc Teichner reporting from the field.