'Dangerous' Cold Blast Targets GA: Long-Range Forecast

GEORGIA — Amid predictions that the tail end of the week may be dangerously frigid, weather officials told Patch that New Year's Day should be "nice and dry" in Georgia.

Though AccuWeather forecasters predicted a cold blast to target the East Coast in the coming days, the National Weather Service's Nikole Listemaa on Monday said it is too far out to fully specify any potential effects on Georgia.

Even so, Listemaa told Patch that a frontal system could enter the state during the weekend into early next week, bringing colder temperatures.

AccuWeather on Monday said the East Coast may freeze in the earlier part of January due to Arctic air. The chilly air may be "dangerous, damaging and disruptive," AccuWeather said.

The private weather company warned more heat could be in demand and energy bills could increase.

“Bitterly cold air will make a big return to the East Coast starting this weekend," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said in the forecast. "This could end up being the coldest January since 2011 for the U.S. as a whole."

An AccuWeather map shows the Arctic blast entering northeastern Georgia later in the week.

The state as a whole could brace for subfreezing temperatures by next week, according to an AccuWeather map. Temperatures may drop 10-20 degrees below the historical average in Georgia and other parts of the East Coast.

But, Listemaa said Georgians do not have to be concerned with severe weather during their New Year's celebrations.

Being observed on Wednesday, New Year's Day may usher in temperatures in the upper 50s to the 60s in South Georgia, Listemaa said. Anyone in the mountains may experience temperatures in the upper 30s, while temperatures in the lower 50s may rest in metro Atlanta.

"It looks like a nice New Year's Day," Listemaa said.

With that, Georgia may be concerned with the high possibility of storms that could soak the state from Sunday to Tuesday, according to the AccuWeather forecast.

Additionally, meteorologists say Atlanta could be one of multiple East Coast cities to receive snow late next week during a second rainstorm that could potentially transform into a snowstorm. People in New York City, Philadelphia and other parts of the Northeast may get drenched during New Year's Eve thunderstorms, AccuWeather said.

Here's the latest Atlanta forecast from the National Weather Service:

Tuesday: Patchy drizzle before 7am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

New Year's Day: Sunny, with a high near 51. Northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 51.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 51.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 29.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 45.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 60%.