The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region on Tuesday December 20, due to extremely low temperatures beginning to move into the area.
What is in the statement?
The statement gives the following details:
“This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North and
Central Georgia.
“.DAY ONE…Tonight…
“Cold rain will spread northward through the area late tonight
through Tuesday evening. There is a chance that the rain could
begin as light freezing rain in the higher elevations of
northeast Georgia during the early morning hours. Impacts at this
time are expected to remain minimal and isolated.
“.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Tuesday through Sunday…
“Patches of light freezing rain could continue in the higher
elevations of far northeast Georgia Tuesday morning.
“There is the potential for some wintry precipitation in north and
west Georgia late Thursday into Friday morning as rain quickly
changes to snow. Any accumulations are expected to minimal at this
time, generally less than an inch. However, the concern for icy
conditions on the roads will increase as temperatures drop well
below freezing by Friday morning.
“Extremely cold temperatures are expected across north and central
Georgia starting Thursday night and into the weekend. High
temperatures will struggle to get out of the 20s and lower 30s on
Friday and Saturday across much of the area, and low temperatures
will be between 5 and 20 degrees Friday and Saturday night.
“Gusty winds are expected on Friday and Saturday, and wind chill
values are forecast to be as cold as 5 to 15 degrees below zero
for parts of north Georgia during the early morning each of these
days.”
What is meant by “isolated” and “scattered”?
The NWS defines “isolated” as follows:
A National Weather Service convective precipitation descriptor for a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch). Isolated is used interchangeably with few.
“Scattered” has the following definition:
When used to describe precipitation (for example: “scattered showers”) – Area coverage of convective weather affecting 30 percent to 50 percent of a forecast zone (s).
In other words isolated means a few showers, scattered means the showers are likely to cover 30 to 50 percent of the affected region.
What counties are affected?
The following counties are included in the hazardous weather outlook:
Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Crawford, Crisp, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Dodge, Dooly, Douglas, Emanuel, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Glascock, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Hall, Hancock, Haralson, Harris, Heard, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Lumpkin, Macon, Madison, Marion, Meriwether, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Newton, North Fulton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Peach, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Rockdale, Schley, South Fulton, Spalding, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taliaferro, Taylor, Telfair, Toombs, Towns, Treutlen, Troup, Twiggs, Union, Upson, Walker, Walton, Warren, Washington, Webster, Wheeler, White, Whitfield, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson
About the National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NWS describes its role as follows:
“The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy.
“These services include Forecasts and Observations, Warnings, Impact-based Decision Support Services, and Education in an effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation. The ultimate goal is to have a society that is prepared for and responds to weather, water and climate events.”
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