The National Weather Service in Peachtree City has upgraded the Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Weather Advisory for the Metro Atlanta area, and it will be in effect from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service issues a Winter Weather Advisory when hazardous wintry precipitation is anticipated within a given time frame, though the amount of wintry precipitation is below Winter Storm Warning criteria.

For Tuesday, as much as 0.5″ to 1″ of snowfall is possible in Metro Atlanta through Tuesday evening. Due to the prolonged cold snap, any snow that falls is expected to stick to roadways, leading to potential hazardous travel conditions.

Further south into Columbus, Macon and Savannah, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for central and south Georgia.

Snow Accumulations Increase Further South

There are two things to note regarding this winter storm compared to the event just a few weeks ago on January 10, 2025:

  • A frozen air mass will be in place for all of Metro Atlanta, with very cold and very dry air supporting all snow showers for the Metro Region
  • The Gulf Low will track further south compared to the previous event, so higher snowfall totals will occur in South and Central Georgia; lower snow totals will taper further north, with potentially little to no snow for the North Georgia Mountains

How Much Snow?

Due to the more southerly track of the low, higher snowfall will occur in Columbus and Macon, but the snowfall will taper further north into the Georgia Mountains.

As a result, the snowfall totals will have a sharp gradient over Metro Atlanta.

  • The Northern Suburbs can expect a dusting to up to 0.5″ of snow.
  • Expect 0.5″ to 1″ of snow in the Southern Suburbs, with higher snowfall totals closer to Macon.


Big Caveat: If More Atmospheric Moisture Arrives, then More Snowfall Possible

Tuesday’s set up is giving many meteorologists in Metro Atlanta flashbacks to 2014:

  • In 2014, air and surface temperatures were already at or below freezing for several hours
  • In 2014, models consistently indicated that snow showers would be focused near Macon and areas south, and no snow was expected for the Metro Atlanta area
  • In 2014, snow showers falling the morning of Snowmageddon indicated that more moisture was available in the atmosphere than indicated by model data, thereby producing higher and more widespread snowfall compared to what was advertised just 24 hours prior by the models.

All this to say, even with a small amount of snowfall in the forecast, it is important to stay weather aware and prudent with travel decisions Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday evening.

This is a fluid situation, please continue to monitor the forecast through Tuesday evening.

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