Brrrr! Winter Finally Making an Appearance

Winter finally arrives in the local area Saturday with two extreme weather warnings issued by the National Weather Service – a wind advisory and an artic air warning. These conditions are predicted for all of North and Central Georgia.

Gwinnett County and Duluth are under a wind advisory from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. According to Weather.com, 20 to 25 mph northwest winds with gusts of up to 40 mph are expected to begin mid-morning. These could bring down weak trees and limbs causing isolated power outages. Motorists are advised to use extra caution, especially those in high profile vehicles, as these strong winds could make driving difficult.

The second advisory warns of an artic cold front entering the state early Saturday morning, causing temperatures in local areas to fall sharply. Wind chill factors are expected to remain in the 20s during the day, dropping to the teens and single digits overnight. Temperatures are not expected to reach above 38 degrees for a daytime high and to drop to about 21 degrees overnight. The windchill is expected to be about 9 degrees. No rain is expected in the local area, but some snow could fall in the North Georgia mountains, according to weather.com. Minor accumulations could occur.

Weather experts are warning that steps need to be taken to protect outdoor pets, water faucets and plants and trees. Outdoor plants might have already experienced premature budding due to the warmer than normal temperatures experienced so far this season.

Cold temperatures are expected again on Sunday night.

Related Topics: Extreme Cold and Wind Advisory