Winter storm warning issued for coastal Georgia, frigid temps remain across state

ATLANTA — The frigid temperatures across north Georgia aren’t going away anytime soon.

Cloud cover is expected to help keep temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s throughout the night Tuesday and early Wednesday morning.

Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns said Wednesday we will see lows in the high teens to low 20s across the state.

Although we'll stay cold for the rest of this week, there's hope that the second week of January will see temperatures near average.

High temperatures tomorrow afternoon, we’re going to reach the upper 30s,” Burns said. “For most of us that were above freezing today, will be above freezing tomorrow.”

The cold air will stick around through most of the week.

“That frigid, arctic air is going to maintain its grip on the southeast right on through the weekend,” Burns said. “Temperatures remain cold for the next four to five days.”

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Burns said a warming trend is on the way.

A winter storm is moving along the east coast and will be impacting the southern coast of Georgia.

A winter storm warning has been issued for much of south Georgia, where Burns said residents could see one to three inches of snow in some areas, as well as freezing rain and sleet.

“These are areas you normally don’t see winter weather advisories and then we have a winter storm watch for the central section of South Carolina as well,” Burns said.

Gov. Nathan Deal issued a state of emergency for 28 south Georgia counties ahead of the anticipated storm.

“The state has begun preparations for potential winter weather in the 28 counties, including sending all Georgia Department of Transportation brine trucks and 75 additional plows to the impacted areas,” Deal said. “The emergency declaration ensures all state resources are available if necessary. We will continue monitoring the weather and provide updates as needed. I encourage all Georgians in the potentially impacted areas to stay informed, get prepared and be safe.”

The counties covered by the warning include: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Candler, Coffee, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Echols, Effingham, Evans, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Ware and Wayne. 

The National Weather Service said Savannah could see up to two inches of snow and sleet Wednesday. Savannah hasn't seen any measureable snowfall since Feb. 12, 2010, when 0.9 inches  fell.

Mayor Eddie DeLoach urged Savannah residents to stay home and keep off the roads Wednesday. The city had dump trucks filled with sand to be spread on main roads, but not enough to treat all of Savannah's streets.

"The streets will be slick," DeLoach said at a City Hall news conference. "We could have some serious issues for folks who aren't used to driving in this kind of weather."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Cox Media Group