Wind Advisory, Freeze Watch for portion of north Georgia

The rain will be moving out of Georgia Wednesday evening making way for the wind to blow in and the temperature to drop dramatically.

April 1, the temperature will be no joke. Thursday morning will start with about a 30-degree temperature drop from the previous morning. Residents of north Georgia will wake up to lows in the 30s.

A Wind Advisory is in effect for Fannin, Gilmer, Union, Towns, Pickens, Dawson, Lumpkin, and White counties through Thursday afternoon.

Winds will be 15 to 25 mph with gust up to 30 and 35 mph. This will impact areas mostly above 2,000 feet, but metro Atlanta will also experience high wind gusts at times.

Don’t be surprised if the wind knocks down some trees due to the soil saturation or at very least brings down limbs, branches, and power lines.

The wind is going to make things feel a lot cooler than they are. Waking up on Thursday, it will feel like it is in the 20s and despite the sun coming out, it will still feel blustery throughout the day. Highs will be in the upper 40s to mid-50s but could feel up to 20 degrees cooler.

Friday will start out even colder win temperatures dipping below freezing.

A Freeze Watch is in effect Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Chattooga, Gordon, Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, Banks, Jackson, Madison, Polk, Paulding, Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Haralson, Carroll, Douglas, DeKalb, Rockdale, Walton, Newton, Morgan, Greene, Taliaferro, Heard, Coweta, Fayette, Clayton, Spalding, Henry, Butts, Jasper, Putnam, Troup, Meriwether, Pike, Lamar, Monroe, Murray, and Jones counties.

Frost and freezing conditions associated with this latest blast of cold weather could kill tender vegetation. It could also impact outdoor plumbing.

The cold has forced Atlanta is opening an emergency warming center at the former Ramada Hotel located 450 Capitol Avenue SE Thursday. It will open at 5 a.m. Thursday and will remain open through 10 a.m.

Temperatures will rebound in time for the weekend. Saturday should be sunny with a high in the low-60s. Easter Sunday, the 70s return and the sun should be shining.

Next week, it will a bit drier and warmer.

Keep up with the latest by downloading the FREE FOX 5 Storm Team app and following @FOX5StormTeam on Twitter.

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