We are bracing for the coldest Christmas we have had in some time.  In fact, some the coldest air Georgia has seen in 5 to 8 years will start to move in from the northwest early Friday morning.

The National Weather Service says that by late Friday morning, most of North and Central Georgia will be in the teens, with single-digit temperatures in far northern Georgia. Wind chill values are forecast to fall below zero across North Georgia, including Metro Atlanta, on Friday morning and again Saturday morning, with values reaching -10 to -20 in the higher elevations of the North Georgia mountains. It will be brutally, dangerously cold across much of Georgia on Friday, Saturday, and even into Sunday – Christmas Day.

There is also still some light precipitation forecast for mainly North Georgia ahead of the cold front Thursday evening into very early Friday morning. Most of this precipitation will fall as rain, but some snow is possible in far North Georgia, accumulating in the highest elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Around one-quarter to one-half inch of rain is possible, and with only a 3-to-6-hour period between the rain ending and the subfreezing air moving in, the potential for black ice formation exists across North Georgia early Friday morning. Gusty winds will help roads to dry quickly, but any remaining moisture on roadways when temperatures plummet will flash freeze and likely remain frozen until at least Sunday. Those gusty winds could also cause downed trees and powerlines on Friday. Sustained wind speeds of 20+ mph will be possible, with wind gusts reaching 40-50 mph in spots.

Again, this is a dangerous situation for those unprepared to be outdoors for prolonged periods of time. Please be sure to take any and all preparatory actions today and tomorrow. A Wind Chill Watch has been issued for much of Georgia and will likely be upgraded to Wind Chill Warnings and Advisories for portions of North and Central Georgia. A Wind Advisory will also likely be issued for much of Georgia. A Winter Weather Advisory may be issued for parts of far northern Georgia for potential snowfall accumulations as well.