... Wind Advisory remains in effect from 10 am this morning to 7 PM EST this evening...
* locations... all of north and central Georgia.
* Winds... northwest 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* Timing... beginning mid-morning Saturday and lasting through Saturday evening.
* Impacts... highest wind gusts will likely be in wide open areas such as airports or along the ridgelines in the mountains. Weak trees and tree limbs may be downed by the high winds. Isolated power outages may occur.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Wind Advisory means that sustained wind speeds of at least 20 mph... or gusts to 35 mph or stronger are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult... especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
... Cold air surges into north and central Georgia this weekend...
An Arctic cold front will sweep through all of north and central Georgia by noon on Saturday. This cold front will be followed by sharply falling temperatures and very gusty northwest winds.
High temperatures on Saturday will generally occur in the morning with the 30s and 40s across the north to the 50s across central Georgia. Temperatures will fall into the teens and 20s on Saturday night.
Strong northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 35 to 40 mph are also expected. Wind chill values will remain in the 20s across north Georgia during the day... dropping into the teens and single digits overnight. Across central Georgia... the wind chill will fall into the 30s by late afternoon... and into the teens overnight.
The predominantly warmer than normal weather so far this winter has resulted in extremely premature budding of some Flowers... plants and trees. Steps should be taken to protect any vulnerable plants... as well as outdoor pets.
Finally... a few snow showers will be possible in the north Georgia mountains from late tonight through Saturday morning. A minor dusting of snow will be possible in the higher elevations... mainly above 2500 feet. Otherwise... most of the snow will melt as it hits the ground due to warmer soil temperatures.
Residents of north and central Georgia should continue to monitor this upcoming winter weather event.