Northwest Georgia is getting a short break today, but it won’t last long. In Chattooga County, low clouds lingering this morning should gradually thin out as the day goes on, and conditions stay dry through the daylight hours. Temperatures will feel seasonable, with afternoon highs in the 40s and 50s, before readings dip tonight into the upper 20s to mid 30s.

Rain returns on Thursday as the next wave and an approaching boundary move into Georgia late in the morning and into the afternoon. Thursday starts cold, with temperatures hovering near the freezing mark early on, but as precipitation arrives, readings should climb into the middle and upper 30s. That timing keeps the wintry threat low for our area. Even if a brief mix tries to show up in portions of western or far north Georgia Thursday morning, temperatures and ground conditions look warm enough that any impacts are unlikely, and no accumulation is expected.

The more noticeable change comes Thursday night into Friday, when moisture increases and rain expands from southwest to northeast across the state. A classic cold-air wedge pattern may attempt to set up along the east side of the Appalachians, which can sometimes lead to winter weather in North Georgia, but this time the colder air looks a little too weak and displaced. Forecast temperatures, even across the higher terrain, are expected to remain mostly in the mid 30s Friday and Saturday mornings, so the story for Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia is a persistent, chilly rain rather than snow or ice.

By Saturday, rain chances should gradually ease from northwest to southeast as the cold front finally starts to push through, shifting the heaviest rainfall farther south into central Georgia. Even so, the front may slow enough to keep showers around longer than you’d like, and another disturbance could briefly enhance rainfall and keep scattered showers in play across parts of North Georgia. Total rainfall amounts through Saturday night are expected to run about one to two inches across North Georgia, with one to three inches common statewide and the highest totals favored across Southwest Georgia.

Once the front clears Sunday morning, a few lingering showers could hang on briefly, and then attention turns to a possible additional round of rain Sunday night into early Monday. Confidence is lower on that late-weekend system because models disagree on how it evolves, so for now it’s something to watch rather than something to plan around.