A strong arctic cold front is expected to bring a risk for severe storms then flurries to North Georgia on Sunday night into Monday.
Severe Threat
The Storm Prediction Center has placed all of North and Central Georgia under a slight (level 2/5) risk for severe storms on Sunday night. An enhanced risk (level 3/5) is in place to our west where storms are expected earlier in the day on Sunday.
A line of strong to severe storms is likely to develop along or just ahead of a rapidly advancing arctic cold front. Additional storms may develop just in front of this line, of which some could also be strong/severe. Current modeling shows the line arriving in northwest Georgia around 2 a.m. on Sunday night and quickly advancing east through 6-7 a.m.
Damaging winds are the primary threat, but this set-up will also be ripe for quick spin-up tornadoes along the line. Any storms that develop ahead of the line will have a higher risk for brief tornadoes as well. The severe threat should push east of the state by 9 a.m. on Monday.
Cold, flurries and gusty winds
Behind the arctic front temperatures will go into free-fall mode. Temperatures will be in the low/mid-60s ahead of the front, but fall quickly into the low/mid-40s in its wake. Temperatures will be below freezing region-wide by midnight and lows on Tuesday morning are expected to bottom out in the low/mid-20s.
Because of this quickly moving cold air, flurries are likely across a pretty big portion of the mountains on Monday afternoon and evening. Most short range modeling now shows potential for at least some snow to mix in with the rain as far south as Metro Atlanta as the system departs early Monday afternoon. No accumulations or impacts are expected, but the total turnaround from storms to possibly snowflakes is only about 6 hours.
Regardless of any severe storms, winds will be very gusty immediately ahead of and just behind the front. South winds gusting at 30-35 m.p.h. are likely ahead of the front early Monday morning, with gusts from the northwest at 30-35 m.p.h. just behind.
These gusty winds will continue through the day on Monday and into Tuesday. Some mountain locations could see gusts up to 40-45 m.p.h. both early Monday morning and Monday afternoon as well.
Stay weather aware and we will keep you up to date on the latest.
