ATLANTA — Severe Weather Team 2 is tracking a winter storm moving into north Georgia Friday with a winter mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain.
Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Brad Nitz says a winter storm watch has been issued for North Georgia.
“Expect accumulating snow and ice over much of the area, with some rain mixing in as well from the city southward. I expect difficult if not impossible travel over parts of our area later Friday into early Saturday,” Nitz says.
Severe Weather Team 2 takes you through the latest data and timing for the winter storm threat, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News.
While the storm is still a ways away, the timing is still being tweaked on this storm.
Nitz said that by daybreak on Friday snow will start to move into West Georgia and quickly spread across our entire area throughout the morning.
“I expect most, if not all of the precipitation that comes in first Friday morning to be snow,” Nitz said.
By noon time parts of the Atlanta metro will start to see a change over from snow to some freezing rain.
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“That freezing rain will continue across the metro area through the afternoon and evening,” Nitz said.
Because the freezing rain is falling on snow, it will compact the snow and freeze, making for an icy mess.
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In far North Georgia, that changeover is not expected to happen. That means the precipitation that does fall will be in the form of snow and will continue to add up.
By Friday night, the freezing rain will be moving east and will eventually move out early Saturday morning.
A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from 7 a.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Saturday for North Georgia.
Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jackson, Jasper, Lumpkin, Madison, Morgan, Murray, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Putnam, Rabun, Rockdale, Spalding, Taliaferro, Towns, Union, Walker, Walton, White, Whitfield and Wilkes counties are included in the watch.
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A Winter Storm Watch is also in effect until 6 a.m. central time Saturday for Cleburne and Randolph counties in Alabama.
Clay County, North Carolina in the Channel 2 viewing area is also under a Winter Storm Watch for the same time period.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Governor Brian Kemp announced on Wednesday that all City of Atlanta and State of Georgia government offices are closing on Friday and employees will work virtually.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Significant snowfall accumulation is likely north metro/mountains
- A winter mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow likely across the metro area
- Precipitation types may change multiple times during the storm
- Farther south, expect a wintry mix to change over to rain over far southern tier of counties
- Temperatures will stay near freezing through the storm
- Improving weather by Saturday.
[INTERACTIVE: StormTracker 2HD Radar]
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