As of Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service in Peachtree City has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Metro Atlanta, which will go into effect beginning 7am Friday and end at 7am Saturday.

The National Weather Service issues a Winter Storm Watch when there is potential for significant and hazardous winter weather to affect the area within 48 hours.

For Metro Atlanta, snow showers as well as freezing rain and sleet will be an issue throughout the day on Friday.

Freezing rain and sleet may produce ice accumulations as high as 0.1″, which is enough to produce hazardous travel as well as potentially impact trees and a few powerlines.

Freezing Rain, Sleet May Generate Ice Accumulations

Over the course of Friday afternoon, enough warm air located about half a mile above the ground may melt the snow into liquid rain showers, particularly around I-20 north into I-285.

The liquid rain showers will fall through a frozen air layer closer to the ground, which means the rain will refreeze into sleet (ice pellets) or freezing rain (rain that freezes on contact with the ground.

Friday afternoon through Friday night, as much as 0.1″ of ice accumulation is possible from Carrollton to Austell and extending east-northeast into Gainesville, Conyers, and Covington.

Ice accumulations will make travel hazardous, and it may be enough to down some trees and a few powerlines.

Further north, snow showers will accumulate, with as much as 1-3 inches of snowfall possible throughout Paulding, Cobb, Fulton, and Gwinnett Counties.

Heavier snow showers are possible in Bartow, Cherokee, Pickens, Forsyth, and Hall counties, with as much as 2 to 4 inches of snowfall for those areas.

The higher elevations of the North Georgia Mountains can expect up to 6 inches of snowfall through Saturday morning.

Below is additional information from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

340 AM EST Wed Jan 8 2025

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY

MORNING...

* WHAT...A wintry mix of precipitation is possible. Snow and sleet

accumulations in the mountains could average between three to six

inches with locally higher amounts possible. Further south to the

Interstate 20 corridor, a mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain

and rain is likely. Snow accumulations of two to four inches is

possible with icing amounts around a tenth of an inch possible.

* WHERE...Portions of north central, northeast, northwest, and west

central Georgia.

* WHEN...From Friday morning through Saturday morning.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions, with travel likely

becoming difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the

Friday commute and linger into Saturday morning. Bridges and

overpasses could become icy even if temperatures remain slightly

above freezing.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this hazardous

situation. Any slight deviations in temperatures or track of the

weather system will result in changes for the precipitation type

forecast.

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