A winter storm system will bring accumulating snow to north Georgia on Saturday along with dangerously cold temperatures that will last through the weekend.
LIVE Severe Weather Team 2 continuing coverage and tracking the snow, on Channel 2 Action News.
A winter storm warning is in effect for parts of metro Atlanta and our eastern counties. A winter weather advisory is in effect for rest of north Georgia.
All of us will feel the dangerous cold. An extreme cold warning is in effect for all of Georgia for wind chills ranging from -15 degrees in the mountains to single digits hovering above 0 in metro Atlanta.
Here’s what to know.
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WINTER STORM WARNING
The winter storm warning is in effect Friday night through Sunday morning for:
Banks, Barrow, Butts, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Dawson, DeKalb, Elbert, Fannin, Forsyth, Franklin, North Fulton, South Fulton, Greene, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Henry, Jackson, Jasper, Lumpkin, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Rabun, Rockdale, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walton, White.
The winter weather advisory is in effect for: Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley, Carroll, Catoosa, Coweta, Crawford, Dade, Dodge, Douglas, Fayette, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Heard, Houston, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Montgomery, Murray, Newton, Paulding, Peach, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Spalding, Telfair, Toombs, Troup, Upson, Walker, Wheeler and Whitfield counties.
HOW MUCH SNOW?
The further east you go, the more snow you are likely to see.
From the eastern metro communities and suburbs out to Athens, Gainesville and into the mountains, expect 3-4 inches of snow.
Some isolated areas could see up to 6 inches.
In the heart of the metro, the amount tapers pretty quickly moving west. Generally, expect around 1-2 inches in the heart of the metro, with isolated spots just west of there getting1/2″ to just over an inch.
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WIND CHILL CONCERNS
It’s not just the snow that we’ll experience with this winter weather system. There is also the dangerously cold temperatures that will last through the weekend.
An extreme cold warning is in effect for all of Georgia through Sunday afternoon. Wind chills will remain in the teens and high temperatures will not get above freezing.
High temperatures will not get above freezing. By Sunday morning, wind chills will be as low as -10 degrees in the mountains and in the single digits across the metro.
Temperatures will remain below freezing for at least 36 hours. Some locations could remain below freezing for up to 48 hours.
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PROTECT PEOPLE, PIPES AND PETS
There will be a risk of frozen pipes and subsequently pipes bursting as temperatures return to the 40s next week.
Water expands when it freezes and can create pressure on whatever the water is in, such as pipes, making them break, according to the American Red Cross.
Pipes that freeze most commonly are exposed to the cold, water supply pipes in unheated interior areas and run against exterior walls or have no insulation.
How to unfreeze or thaw frozen pipes:
- First, you will want to open the faucet of the pipe because flowing water can help the ice melt faster, according to Home Depot.
- Exposed pipes: You will want to heat the source, which you can do with a heating pad, hair dryer, heated and damp towels or a space heater.
- Enclosed pipes: Turn the heat on in your house.
- It is not recommended to use extreme heat or open flames to thaw a pipe, Home Depot said.
How to repair a burst pipe, according to Lowe’s:
- Step 1: Turn off the power nearby.
- Step 2: Turn off the water.
- Step 3: Turn off the hot water.
- Step 4: Drain the water.
- Step 5: Make temporary repairs.
- Step 6: Reach out to a professional for assistance.
How to prevent frozen pipes:
- Before a storm or the colder months, look for any cracks or openings and seal them.
- Use a weather strip and caulk around basement windows or crawl space doors, according to Lowe’s.
- Make sure to insulate your house to keep it warm during the cold months.
- Use pipe wrap insulation to cover unprotected pipes, Lowe’s suggests. You can also install pipe heat cables.
- Install storm windows or replace old windows.
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