An Extreme Cold Warning remains in effect for Cobb County and other Georgia counties on Monday, January 20, 2025.

There is an increasing likelihood of a winter storm in metro Atlanta and other parts of the region beginning Tuesday. The degree of accumulation is uncertain, but snow is the likely dominant precipitation.

What is in the statement?

The statement gives the following details (last updated Sunday, Jan 19 at 10:27 p.m.):

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north and central Georgia.

.DAY ONE…Tonight…

Temperatures will continue to plummet tonight as northwest winds

remain gusty. As a result, wind chills will be dropping to -5 to 5

degrees across North Georgia and 10 to 20 degrees across Central

Georgia by late tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Monday through Saturday…

Confidence in an Arctic air mass impacting the Eastern U.S.

beginning early Monday morning is high. Wind chills from as much as

5-10 degrees below zero to the teens are forecast to develop in north

and central Georgia Monday through Thursday. An Excessive Cold

Warning has been issued for north Georgia Monday morning, with a Cold

Weather Advisory in effect for the remainder of the forecast area.

It is becoming increasingly likely that a winter storm will impact

north and central Georgia Tuesday through early Wednesday.

Uncertainty remains regarding exact accumulation, but snow is likely

to be the dominant precipitation type. A Winter Storm Watch has been

issued for areas along and south of the I-20/I-85 interchange for the

potential for as much as 2-3″ of snow accumulation. Please continue

to monitor for future updates.

What counties are affected?

The following counties are included in the hazardous weather outlook:

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

What is wind chill?

The National Weather Service defines wind chill as follows:

The wind chill temperature is how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature.

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.”

>>> Read all the Cobb County Courier climate and weather coverage by following this link.