What was a wind chill watch for much of north Georgia over the Christmas weekend has turned into a warning.
The National Weather Service has upgraded its advisory to take effect from Thursday night through Saturday, Christmas Eve, as the coldest temperatures in metro Atlanta in several years will be moving in.
Wind chills as low as -5 below zero are forecast during the warning period, which expires at noon Saturday.
While highs Wednesday and Thursday will be around 50, very cold weather will arrive on Friday, with highs only in the low 20s for Friday and Saturday.
There’s a 40 percent chance of rain Thursday with lows in the mid-teens.
The NWS is urging individuals to limit their outdoor time, wear gloves/mittens and tight-fitting hats or caps and dress in layers. Outdoor pets should be brought inside.
Lows on Friday night could dip into the single digits. By Christmas Day, the rain will be clearing out with sunny skies expected but a high forecast only in the low 30s.
The cold weather moving through Georgia and the Deep South is part of a Arctic cold front sweeping across the continental United States, with wind chill factors of -40 and -50 below zero in parts of the northern Great Plains.
Snow squalls are forecast in the western U.S. and even California and Florida will be experiencing freezing weather.
Flash freezing could occur over much of the eastern U.S., including parts of Georgia and the South, before the weather system moves out across the Atlantic Ocean.
Temperatures in metro Atlanta will get gradually warmer early next week, with highs in the mid-40s on Tuesday and into the low 60s by next Friday.
For more on the local weather forecast over the next week, click here.
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