A strong upper trough approached Georgia on the morning of Sunday, January 18th, drawing Gulf moisture northward into central Georgia. Meanwhile, a cold front brought an influx of colder air into the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 28 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS FFC wrote it up.
A strong upper trough approached Georgia on the morning of Sunday, January 18th, drawing Gulf moisture northward into central Georgia. Meanwhile, a cold front brought an influx of colder air into the area. This interaction led to a few hours of snowfall across much of central Georgia on the morning of January 18th. Snowfall accumulations were generally in the 1-2 range across this stretch of the state, though a few spots received near 3 of snow. After a brief period of slowed travel and snowy scenes, afternoon sun brought warmer temperatures which quickly melted the snow, bringing a quick end to this relatively uncommon central Georgia snowfall.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 18, 2:56 AM EST, 4 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 256 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026 ...Morning Area Forecast Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 253 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026 - Significant travel impacts are possible due to snowfall in central Georgia between 4 AM and 1 PM Sunday. - A Winter Storm Warning is in place for a portion of central Georgia including Macon. Snowfall amounts of 1-3" are possible. - Consider adjusting travel plans to avoid the hazardous weather in central Georgia Sunday morning. - Cool temps continue into next week. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Monday) Issued at 253 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026 Snow Potential Today: The morning begins with a sharp upper trough extending through the ArkLaTex and into the northwest Gulf. As this trough quickly continues eastward, deep atmospheric moisture will be pulled northward into central and north Georgia. Ahead of this trough surface low has developed offshore of the Florida Panhandle. As this low intensifies and meanders eastward, it will help spread precipitation into our area on its northern periphery. The first round of this precipitation is ongoing in portions of central and east Georgia is all rain at the time of this writing. A look at the KMOB and KEOX radar reveals that a second round of precip is spreading across the west Florida Panhandle and the southeast Alabama plains. This round will enter west-central Georgia shortly and continue building north and east through the early morning hours. A cold front has meanwhile entered far north Georgia and will continue southward through the morning hours. As the front dives south, rain will transition to a wintry mix and then snow on the northern end of the rain shield as temperatures drop below freezing around 5-6 AM. Temperatures in the low to mid 30s will then continue to spread south, with the transition from rain to a wintry mix or wet snow working its way southward through the rain shield. Some uncertainty remains with respect to the area over which snow can be expected and the total snow accumulations over this event. Both of these will depend on a combination of how far north precipitation will spread into the area and how quickly south the front will advance. The area of overlap, and thus the footprint of snow, is expected to be across central Georgia and portions of north Georgia along and south of the I-85 corridor. Within this area, snowfall totals are largely forecast to range from a trace to 1 inch. Short-range and ensemble guidance also continue to indicate a period in the early to mid morning where some convective development and elevated snowfall rates of 0.5-1 inch per hour could be possible. Hi-res forecast soundings show a deep saturated layer and moderate to strong lift within the dendritic growth zone across portions of central Georgia this morning. The current thinking is that this swath will span from the southwest corner of the CWA to as far northeast as Macon and Warner Robins. Here, snowfall totals are forecast to range from 1-3 inches. Locally higher totals cannot be ruled out, though probabilistic guidance indicates a less than 5% or less chance of any location seeing snowfall amounts of 4 inches or greater. Locations that experience higher snowfall rates may see more significant road impacts as snow rates potentially overwhelm the warmer road/ground temperatures, warranting a Winter Storm Warning. To account for the changes in snow accumulations and areal extent, the existing Winter Storm Warning has been expanded westward to include Schley, Marion, Webster and Stewart counties. Meanwhile, the Winter Weather Advisory has been expanded as far north as Madison county (and Athens) on its northeast side and to include Troup county (and Lagrange) on its northwest side. Both of these winter weather headlines remain in effect until 1 PM EST this afternoon. As the trough and surface low move away to the east, precipitation will begin to come to an end from northwest to southeast in the late morning through early afternoon. The last of the snow is anticipated to come to an end in the southeast corner of our forecast area by no later than 2 PM this afternoon. Skies will quickly clear behind the precip shield by mid-afternoon. High temperatures this afternoon will rise into the low 40s across the majority of the area, which will contribute to some melting of snow across central Georgia before sunset. Monday: Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing shortly after sunset, and lows are forecast to be mainly in the low to mid 20s early Monday morning. Any lingering snow and water that did not have time to dry off the roadways will freeze overnight, leading to black ice and dangerous driving conditions overnight and and Monday morning. On Monday, strong high pressure will move from the Great Plains towards the Southeast promoting dry weather and clear skies across the area. High temperatures on Monday will still struggle to get out of the 30s in the higher elevations of far north Georgia. Elsewhere, highs are forecast to rise into the low to mid 40s in north Georgia and upper 40s to low 50s in central Georgia. As the surface high draws closer to the region, another cold front will advance into north Georgia during the daytime on Monday. No precipitation is expected in association with this front, but dewpoints will drop into the single digits in its wake. The potential for fire danger concerns will need to be monitored for Monday afternoon in portions of far north Georgia. King && .LONG TERM... (Monday night through Saturday) Issued at 253 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026 The long term periods begin Mon night with low temps in the teen and 20s. Dry conditions are expected to prevail Tuesday and Wed as high pressure dominates the region through the middle of the week. Looks like the biggest issue Tue and Wed will be very dry conditions with relative humidity values expected in the 15% to 25% range each afternoon. With winds in the 5-10mph range each day, conditions could be setting the stage for potential issuances of Fire Danger Statements. If gustier conditions are realized either day, Fire Weather Watches or Red Flag Warnings would not be out of the question. The next chance of precip appears to be Thu. The models are showing a weak frontal boundary sweeping through the area but it is lacking any deep layer moisture. This front moves into N GA right around daybreak Thu and moves rapidly south to the GA/FL border by 00z-06z Fri. High pressure builds in right behind it drying things out for Friday...but then another wave/frontal system moves out of the Mid MS river valley and into NW GA by daybreak Sat. Right now the models are showing mainly rain with this 3rd system but the cold air coming south with it could bring some freezing/frozen precip to the North GA mountains Sat/Sat night. As for temps in the extended period lows Wed through Sat will be mainly in the 20s and 30s with highs in the 40s and 50s. Mays see some 60s Fri and near 70 by Sat across central portions of the state. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 107 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026 Mainly VFR conditions with rain south and east of the ATL/AHN areas. Still expecting some light snow across the ATL area but not expecting much accumulation. MCN/CSG will be the best location for snow to accumulate. Will continue to see -SN through the mid- morning hours across central GA. Will begin to see clearing skies by Mid morning for the ATL area with gusty NW winds this afternoon (10-15kt gust to 25kt). Wind speeds will diminish after sunset with clear skies for all locations. //ATL Confidence...06Z Update... Confidence high on all elements. 01 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Athens 42 26 47 24 / 40 0 0 0 Atlanta 41 28 46 24 / 20 0 0 0 Blairsville 34 19 39 14 / 10 0 0 0 Cartersville 41 24 45 19 / 10 0 0 0 Columbus 45 25 51 24 / 60 0 0 0 Gainesville 40 28 45 24 / 20 0 0 0 Macon 43 24 50 23 / 90 0 0 0 Rome 45 26 48 20 / 0 0 0 0 Peachtree City 42 24 47 21 / 30 0 0 0 Vidalia 46 26 50 27 / 100 0 0 0 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 1 PM EST this afternoon for GAZ027- 036>039-047>051-056>062-066>076-078>081-085-086-089-090-098- 110>113. Winter Storm Warning until 1 PM EST this afternoon for GAZ082>084-091>097-102>109. && SHORT TERM...King LONG TERM....01 AVIATION...01
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 312 PM EST Sat Jan 17 2026 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-182015- 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- 312 PM EST Sat Jan 17 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north and central Georgia. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight... Snowfall will impact travel in central Georgia, with the most significant impacts anticipated after 5 AM. Interstates 75 and 16 could be impacted by accumulating snowfall. A Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory remain in place for central Georgia. Travelers should use caution and consider adjusting their travel plan to later in the day if possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday... Snowfall may linger across central Georgia until 1 PM, though the bulk of any accumulating snow should occur before 10 AM. Snowfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are possible. Areas that see significant snowfall will likely see continued travel impacts through the early afternoon. Temperatures will fall below freezing after sunset on Sunday, resulting in possible black ice concerns for areas that see snowfall Sunday night and Monday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
28 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of 1 to 2 inches across the county were reported by mid morning before clearing out by late morning.
Rain transitioned over to snowfall in the morning hours of the 18th. This lead to between trace amounts and 2 inches of accumulations across the county by the mid morning. Snowfall ended by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of T to 1.5 inches were recorded by mid morning and snowfall ended by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulated to between T ant 1 inch across the county, tapering off by the late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of T to 2 were reported across the county with snowfall tapering off by the late morning.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of T to 1 inch were reported by late morning with snow tapering off by the late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the morning hours of the 18th with snowfall accumulation across the county of T to 1.5 inches by the mid morning. Light snow showers continued through noon.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the morning hours of the 18th with accumulation of T to 1.5 inches reported across the county by mid morning. Snowfall tapered off by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of T to 2 inches were reported across the county by mid morning. Snowfall tapered off by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of T to 2 inches were reported across the county with light snow showers continuing through late morning.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations reached T to 1.5 inches across the county. Any remnant snow showers tapered off by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snow accumulations reached T to 1.5 inches across the county by mid morning. Remnant snow showers continued through late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snow totals reached 1 to 3 inches across the county, the highest in the area, due to localized heavy snow banding. All snow showers tapered off by mid morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snow accumulations of T to 1.5 inches were reported across the county. All snow tapered off by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snow accumulations reached 0.5 to 2 inches by mid morning and remnant snow shower cleared by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of T to 2 inches were reported across the county by mid morning. All snow showers ended by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations reached 0 to 1 inch across the county. Light snow showers continued through noon.
Rain transitioned to snow in the early morning hours of the 18th. Snow accumulations of 0.5 to 2 inches were reported by mid morning. Snow tapered off through late morning.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the morning hours of the 18th, with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation across the county before clearing out by the late morning.
Snowfall began in the morning hours of the 18th and quickly accumulated to between 1 and 3 inches across the county. Snowfall ended by late morning.
Snowfall began in the morning hours of the 18th with a quick accumulation of 1 to 2 inches across the county. Snowfall ended before the afternoon.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations of T to 2 inches were reported across the county by the late morning. Snowfall ended by late morning.
Snowfall began in the morning hours of the 18th with a band of snow quickly dropping accumulations of T to 2 inches across the county. Snowfall tapered off quickly by 10am.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations between T and 2 inches were reported across the county. Snowfall ended by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the morning hours of the 18th. Snow quickly accumulated, with total accumulations of 0 to 2 inches about 9AM. Snowfall ended by 10AM.
Rain transitioned to snowfall in the morning hours of the 18th. Snow accumulations of T to 1.5 inches were reported across the county. Snow ended by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the morning hours of the 18th. Snowfall accumulations quickly reached between 0.5 and 2 inches by mid morning. Remnant snow showers ended by late morning.
Rain transitioned to snow in the morning hours of the 18th and quickly accumulated 0.5 to 2 inches of snowfall by 9am. All remnant snow showers cleared the area by 10am.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, January 2026
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1316721, 1316724, 1316726, 1316727, 1316729, 1316731, 1316733, 1316734, 1316735, 1316738, 1316739, 1316740, 1316741, 1316742, 1316745, 1316747, 1316748, 1316749, 1316720, 1316723, 1316725, 1316730, 1316732, 1316736, 1316737, 1316743, 1316744, 1316760.