6:45 A.M. THURSDAY UPDATE:
A weekend Winter Storm Watch for our area and other parts of the state has now been posted by the weather service. (EDITOR’S NOTE: On the accompanying map, the shaded area in Alabama is not for a Winter Storm Watch but a Extreme Cold Watch.)
“WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY
MORNING…
* WHAT…Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations up to two
inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
* WHERE…Portions of east central, north central, and northeast
Georgia.
* WHEN…From Friday evening through Sunday morning.
* IMPACTS…Plan on slippery road conditions.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Wind chills will range from 5 degrees below
zero to the lower teens above zero on Saturday, then range from 10
degrees below zero to the single digits above zero Saturday night
into Sunday morning.”
Latest 7-day forecast for Gainesville and vicinity:
oday
Increasing clouds, with a high near 44. West wind around 5 mph.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Friday Night
A slight chance of rain and snow before 10pm, then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Northwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday
A 40 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 33.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 20.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 26.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Wednesday
A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 46.
ORIGINAL STORY. POSTED 4:00 A.M. THURSDAY:
“Snow will return to portions of Georgia this weekend (including the Gainesville area), with the highest probability of travel impacts in eastern Georgia,” the National Weather Service (NWS) declares in an advisory issued Wednesday night.
“Impacts for Atlanta are uncertain (about a 1 in 3 chance) and will depend on how far west the storm tracks. This will be an all-snow event, so (unlike last weekend) no freezing rain or sleet.”
The chances of 1-3 inches of the white stuff include 90-95 percent along the Georgia-South Carolina border from Clayton to the Augusta area; 90 percent in the Toccoa area; 80 percent in Athens; and 60 percent in the Blairsville, Cleveland and Gainesville areas, and even as far south as Milledgeville and Sandersville.
Last weekend, it was central and south Georgia that got snow while our area was dealing with sleet and freezing rain.
Oh, and it’ll be bitterly cold this weekend, as well, with another blast of arctic air.
The NWS 7-day Gainesville area forecast:
Thursday
Partly sunny, with a high near 44. West wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday
A slight chance of rain and snow showers between 1pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of rain showers after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Friday Night
A chance of rain showers before 10pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Northwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday
A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29.
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 32.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 18.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 25.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Wednesday
A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 49.