Issued by The National Weather Service
Atlanta, GA
9:57 pm EST, Sat., Jan. 8, 2011

… WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING…

A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING.

PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AS SNOW SUNDAY EVENING AND REMAIN PREDOMINANTLY SNOW THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. MONDAY MORNING… AREAS FROM CARROLLTON… TO ATLANTA… TO ATHENS AND SOUTHWARD WILL TRANSITION TO A FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET MIXTURE WITH THIS MIXTURE PROGRESSING NORTH TO POTENTIALLY ALL OF NORTH GEORGIA EXCEPT THE MOUNTAINS BY AFTERNOON. FOR THE MOUNTAINS… THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN PREDOMINATELY SNOW THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. SNOW… FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET MIX WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. AREAS THAT SEE GLAZE ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY EXPERIENCE SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 5 TO 7 INCHES NORTH OF A ROME… TO CANTON… TO GAINESVILLE LINE… WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE MOUNTAINS. SOUTH OF THIS AREA AND NORTH OF A FRANKLIN… TO PEACHTREE CITY… TO GREENSBORO LINE… SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE MOSTLY FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES… WITH MAINLY 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET SOUTH OF THIS LINE… EXCEPT FOR AREAS SOUTH OF COLUMBUS… TO WARNER ROBINS… TO WRIGHTSVILLE… WHERE ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET SHOULD BE ONE INCH OR LESS. ACCUMULATIONS OF GLAZE ICE OF 1/10 TO 2/10 OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR AREAS BETWEEN COLUMBUS… MACON… WRIGHTSVILLE… NORTHWARD TO FRANKLIN… PEACHTREE CITY… GREENSBORO.

IN ADDITION… FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY LINGER MONDAY EVENING INTO TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA… WHICH WILL PROLONG THE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS AND HAZARDOUS TRAVEL.

THERE REMAIN UNCERTAINTIES WITH RESPECT TO PRECIPITATION TYPE AND DURATION. STAY ABREAST OF LATER STATEMENTS… WARNINGS… AND ADVISORIES THAT WILL BE ISSUED REGARDING THIS WINTER WEATHER EVENT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW… SLEET… OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

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More Information

… SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM REMAINS POSSIBLE FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY…

FOR THE PERIOD SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY… A WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT ALL OF NORTH GEORGIA AND MUCH OF CENTRAL GEORGIA. LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO SUNDAY MORNING AND SHIFT EAST THROUGH LATE SUNDAY. AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM… A COLD AND DRY AIRMASS WILL BE IN PLACE… SETTING THE STAGE FOR A WINTER STORM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. PRECIPITATION WILL END BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON EXCEPT FOR LINGERING SNOW ACROSS THE NORTH GEORGIA MOUNTAINS AND PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE EARLY ACROSS THE NORTH.

IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT THIS EVENT REMAINS 24 HOURS OUT AND THAT MINOR DEVIATIONS IN THE STORM TRACK OR TEMPERATURE PROFILES COULD RESULT IN MORE OR LESS WINTER IMPACTS ACROSS THE AREA.