Winter Storm Warning in effect starting Friday morning as a wintry mix moves through Metro Atlanta

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a Winter Storm Warning for Metro Atlanta, which will go into effect beginning 7am Friday and end at 7am Saturday.

🚨 All areas within the previous Winter Storm Watch have been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning. 🚨 We are becoming increasingly concerned with the potential for damaging freezing rain accumulation along and north of the I-20 corridor throughout the day Friday. #gawx pic.twitter.com/xIgWOIbso0
— NWS Atlanta (@NWSAtlanta) January 9, 2025

What to Expect Friday Morning

Snow showers will begin as early as 7am, and they will move from the west to the east. The animation below illustrates the Futurecast Radar imagery for tomorrow morning.

Snow showers will mix with freezing rain and sleet through the late morning and early afternoon as warmer air moves into the Metro Atlanta area.

HRRR Futurecast Data HRRR Futurecast Radar for Friday, January 10, 2025

During this time, as much as 1 to 2 inches of snowfall is possible north of I-20, particularly in the suburbs. For the Southside, as much as half an inch of snowfall is possible before the snow transitions to a rain/sleet mix.

Forecast Snow Totals National Weather Service forecast snow totals for Friday, January 10, 2025.

What to Expect Friday Afternoon

Unfortunately, the low pressure system is pulling not just moisture, but warmer air into the Metro Atlanta area. As a result, air temperatures just a few hundred feet above the ground will trend just a few degrees above freezing.

HRRR HRRR Futurecast Radar imagery for Metro Atlanta on Friday, January 10, 2025.

As a result, the warm air will melt the snowflakes as they fall through the warm layer, creating rain.

The rain showers will fall into the frigid air in place over Metro Atlanta through Friday afternoon, and if the rain freezes before reaching the ground, it will arrive as sleet.

If the rain freezes as it makes contact with the ground, that is called freezing rain, which will make for treacherous travel conditions.

Forecasting Wintry Precipitation The type of wintry precipitation that falls to the ground is dependent on the air temperature from the cloud to the ground.

I do expect ice accumulations to occur between 12pm and 5pm. As much as 0.10″ to 0.35″ of ice accumulation is to be expected, which is enough to create treacherous travel conditions as well as spotty power outages and isolated tree damage.