Winter Storm in Georgia, January 30 to 31, 2026

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
700 PM EST Fri Jan 30 2026

...New 00Z Aviation Discussion...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 652 PM EST Fri Jan 30 2026

- A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for most of north and east-central
  Georgia where significant accumulating snowfall and gusty winds
  will create difficult to impossible travel conditions.

- A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for northwest Georgia through
  portions of Middle Georgia and far southeast counties where
  accumulations up to an inch will create hazardous travel.

- An Extreme Cold Warning covers the entire area Saturday night
  into early Sunday afternoon when dangerous wind chills will
  range from as cold as fifteen below to the single digits above
  zero.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(This evening through Saturday)
Issued at 328 PM EST Fri Jan 30 2026

Winter Storm Beginning Tonight:

An anomalous (as much as 5 to 6 standard deviations below average at
its strongest) mid-level trough will dig across the Midwest over the
course of the day today, closing off and swinging into the Southeast
through Sunday. Concurrently, moisture wrapping around the backside
of a rapidly intensifying surface low pressure system off the GA/SC
coast will overspread portions of north and central Georgia. The
interplay between these features, and an arctic airmass moving in in
the wake of the aforementioned surface low to reinforce already
unseasonably cool conditions, will set the stage for a potent
southern snow storm impacting a wide swath extending from Georgia
into the Carolinas.

Light snow showers may begin across far northwest Georgia as early
as 8PM tonight, with chances for snow showers spreading southward to
encompass most areas north of the I-20/I-85 interchange by 3 to 4AM,
and to a line extending from just north of Columbus to Macon by 7 to
8AM. The brunt of our forecast snowfall accumulations are expected
Saturday morning through early afternoon, after which lingering snow
showers will gradually taper off from west to east through sunset.

Forecast snowfall totals up to 2 to 4 inches -- and potentially up
to 4 to 6 inches in very far northeast Georgia -- are possible
within areas currently covered by a Winter Storm Warning (generally
along and to the east of the I-75/I-16 corridor), and up to 1"
within the Winter Weather Advisory (along and west of I-75 to the AL
border, and then south and east to Telfair, Wheeler, Montgomery, and
Toombs).

Potential for Mesoscale Banding and Squalls:

This is a high confidence setup climatologically (upper troughing
across ECONUS, cold air already in place and reinforced by an even
colder airmass moving in from the northwest), but uncertainty
remains regarding the development of mesoscale banding or snow
squalls that could result in locally higher snowfall totals varying
across the width of half a county -- or potentially less. These
small scale features are difficult for even HiRes models to resolve,
however, 1) signals for convergence boundaries seen in simulated
surface wind fields, 2) contours of 850mb frontogenesis, and 3) the
orientation/behavior of the mid-to-upper low suggests that two main
areas -- portions of northwest Georgia close to the AL border and
somewhere along a line extending from the Atlanta Metro to Athens --
have the potential to see intense bands of heavier snowfall that
could result in locally (much?) higher snowfall totals. Across
northeast/east Georgia where moisture advection off of the coastal
low is progged to be highest and most long-lived, locations that see
mesoscale banding or squalls could fairly easily see 6" of snow.

Impacts:

Snow liquid ratios over the course of the day Saturday will hover
around 20:1 -- far, far above average for locations this far south;
we typically see ratios closer to 5-8:1 -- supporting very dry,
powdery snow. This, combined with cold air and road temperatures,
will allow for accumulations to begin very quickly after snowfall
begins. Road conditions will deteriorate similarly quickly after the
onset of snow showers, and travel may become dangerous to
impossible. Once temperatures drop below freezing tonight, areas
receiving snowfall could remain below freezing through mid-morning
Monday -- hindering and delaying appreciable melting, especially in
shaded areas.

As the coastal low deepens, our surface pressure gradient will
increase, with gusts of 30 to 35 mph likely effectively areawide by
Saturday afternoon. This, combined with light, powdery snow
accumulations, will introduce the potential for blowing snow, a
phenomena rarely observed in Georgia (or the Southeast, for that
matter). In the same vein, any snow squalls/bands that form have the
potential to decrease visibility rapidly and over a small area
spatially, which would further contribute to dangerous travel should
anyone venture out onto the roads.

Dangerous Cold and Wind Chills:

In addition to the hazards posed by meaningful snowfall for
potentially large swaths of north and central Georgia, unseasonably
cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills will settle in this
weekend. Lows tonight will be in the teens to 20s, with "feels like"
temperatures of 5 degrees or lower for areas along and north of I-
85. Highs on Saturday will actually occur very close to midnight
(tonight), with temperatures expected to continue to plummet as the
Arctic high eases its way east. By mid-afternoon Saturday,
temperatures will be in the teens to 20s for all but our far
southeastern tier. An Extreme Cold Warning has been issued for all
of north and central Georgia beginning 7PM Saturday: lows will drop
further into the teens (and single digits across far northeast
Georgia) overnight Saturday, with wind chills dipping below zero for
most areas along and north of a line extending from I-85 to
Athens.

The combination of all of the above factors make for a challenging
and potentially hazardous weekend ahead, weather-wise. Check in on
your family and community members, stay tuned to the forecast for
subsequent updates, and ensure preparations are complete by tonight
-- especially if you live within the northeastern quadrant of the
forecast area.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Sunday morning through next Thursday)
Issued at 328 PM EST Fri Jan 30 2026

Snow will have come to an end by Sunday at the onset of the long-
term forecast period, though significant impacts will linger.
Temperatures and wind chills will be brutally cold Saturday night
into Sunday with an Extreme Cold Warning in effect through midday
Sunday. Wind chills Sunday morning will range from as cold as 15
below zero in the mountains of north Georgia to the single digits in
Middle Georgia - uncommon for this part of the country and dangerous
for those without appropriate clothing or safe and reliable heating
sources. Given anticipated snow cover across a good portion of the
area, temperatures will struggle to rise above freezing for many
areas of north Georgia. While the return of sunshine will help to a
limited degree for areas that received lighter accumulations, icy
roadways will stay a major concern Sunday into Sunday night among
limited warming. Travel will still be difficult in many areas as a
result.

Some melting should begin on Monday as temperatures begin to
rebound, likely into the 40s for many. Still, in areas with heavier
snow accumulations still hanging around, temperatures could be held
down to some degree and slow the melting process. While temperatures
will again drop below freezing Monday night, the substantial warming
trend will continue on Tuesday as highs rebound into the 50s and
even the lower 60s for parts of Middle Georgia.

Our next chance for precipitation will arrive ahead of a cold front
from Tuesday night into Wednesday. Currently, primarily rain showers
are favored with this system, though some potential for at least a
brief mix or brief snow showers exists in north Georgia before
precipitation comes to an end. Given there are still notable
uncertainties regarding low track and cold air interaction, details
will be ironed out in future updates.

&&

.AVIATION...
(00Z TAFS)
Issued at 652 PM EST Fri Jan 30 2026

The primary aviation concern through the next 36 hours will be
the snowfall. Trends continue to indicated more widespread
snowfall between 06Z Saturday and 00Z Sunday, with the 11Z to 19Z
window being the period for peak airport impacts. Accumulations
are anticipated at KATL. Strong northwest winds (peak gusts 25 to
35 kt) will also occur and linger through at least 06Z Sunday. The
strongest gusts are expected between 15Z Saturday and 06Z Sunday.
A mix of MVFR and IFR ceilings will occur between 08Z Saturday
and 02Z Sunday.

//ATL Confidence...00Z Update...
High confidence in snow showers at some point between 09Z and
21Z.
Moderate confidence in the greatest snow impacts between 12Z
and 18Z Saturday.
High confidence in wind guts near or above 30 kt after 12Z
Saturday.

Albright

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Athens          25  29  13  33 /  40  80  20   0
Atlanta         24  28  14  34 /  40  80   0   0
Blairsville     14  19   4  28 /  80  90  10   0
Cartersville    19  25  12  34 /  50  60   0   0
Columbus        25  31  16  39 /  10  10   0   0
Gainesville     24  28  13  33 /  60  90  10   0
Macon           29  34  16  39 /  10  50  10   0
Rome            23  29  17  38 /  40  40  10   0
Peachtree City  23  28  13  36 /  30  60   0   0
Vidalia         33  40  17  40 /   0  80  60   0

&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM EST Saturday for GAZ001>004-
011-012-019.

Extreme Cold Warning from 7 PM Saturday to 1 PM EST Sunday for
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113.

Winter Storm Warning until 1 AM EST Sunday for GAZ005>009-
013>016.

Winter Weather Advisory from 1 AM to 7 PM EST Saturday for
GAZ020-030-031-041>043-052>054-056-066>071-081>083-094>096-107-
109>113.

Winter Storm Warning from 1 AM Saturday to 1 AM EST Sunday for
GAZ021>025-027-032>039-044>051-055-057>062-072>076-084>086-097-
098.

&&

SHORT TERM...96
LONG TERM....RW
AVIATION...Albright

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
301 PM EST Fri Jan 30 2026

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-312015-
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-
301 PM EST Fri Jan 30 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north and central Georgia.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight...

A winter storm will start to impact portions of north and east-
central Georgia tonight, bringing accumulating snowfall, gusty
winds, cold temperatures, and hazardous travel conditions.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday...

A winter storm will continue to impact north and east-central
Georgia throughout Saturday into Saturday night, bringing
dangerous to impossible travel conditions. Icy roads and
hazardous travel conditions will persist into Sunday for many
areas.

Very cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills are expected
across north and central Georgia this weekend, leading to an
extended threat for pipe bursts and cold-related illnesses. Wind
chill values between 0 and negative 15 are expected in north
Georgia and low single digits to just below zero are possible
across all of central Georgia..

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not requested but spotters are encouraged
to submit reports of winter weather through the web by going to
weather.gov/atlanta.