Latest from Atlanta

[JenyEliza]

Here's the latest from Atlanta:

[Brent]

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
930 PM EST FRI JAN 28 2005

.DISCUSSION...SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER EVENT UNFOLDING AS EXPECTED
FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE
MID-ATLANTIC WITH A SIGNIFICANT WEDGE OF COLD AIR STILL PROGRESSING
WESTWARD INTO GA. ARCTIC AIR MASS OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC WITH
DEWPOINTS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS ADVECTED SW INTO
GA...PRECEDES ONSET OF PRECIPITATION...LEADING TO A SIGNIFICANT
WETBULB EFFECT. UPPER-LEVEL STORM SYSTEM IN SOUTHERN STREAM MOVING
TOWARD GA FROM THE MID-SOUTH...WITH GOOD GULF INFLOW. STRONG 850MB
LLJ DEWPOINTS OVERNIGHT WITH SCREAMING WARM ADVECTION JUST OFF THE
SURFACE ABOVE SHALLOW LAYER OF ARCTIC AIR. THIS SUGGESTS THE
POTENTIAL FOR A SIGNIFICANT ICING EVENT AS LIFT IS ENHANCED. IN
ADDITION...VERTICAL MOTION PROFILES ARE QUICK SIGNIFICANT IN THE
09Z-15Z TIME PERIOD WITH A BAND OF VV IN EXCESS OF +20 UB/SEC. THIS
COULD WELL BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ICE STORMS FOR MUCH OF GA
SINCE 2000. MAY NEED TO CHANGE WINTER STORM WARNING TO AN ICE STORM
WARNING TO BETTER REFINE SITUATION...BUT WILL LEAVE THAT FOR LATER.
FOR SATURDAY...EXPECT WEDGE TO HOLD IN STRONGER THAN CURRENTLY
EXPECTED...WITH MANY AREAS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA REMAINING AT
OR BELOW FREEZING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN
NEAR STEADY OR SLOWLY RISE SATURDAY NIGHT...FINALLY GETTING ABOVE
FREEZING THE NE PART OF THE STATE BY 10 AM SUNDAY MORNING. BEYOND
SUNDAY...UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE. OVERALL PATTERN LOOKS WET
AND COLD...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE WINTER WEATHER LATE IN THE
WEEK OR NEXT WEEKEND. WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE ONGOING
FORECAST AT THIS TIME.

.UPDATE...NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FREEZING RAIN AS FAR SOUTH AS
AMERICUS...CSG AND FT BENNING RESULTED IN ADDING AN ADVISORY TO THAT
AREA. AIR TEMPERATURES DROPPING TO 31-32 DEGREES IN MOST AREAS AT
THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION. AREAS NORTH OF GVL-ATL-AHN SHOULD FALL
INTO THE UPPER 20S THROUGH THE NIGHT AND NOT WARM ABOVE FREEZING
UNTIL SAT NIGHT. HAVE ADJUSTED GRIDDED TEMPS DOWN IN ALL AREAS FOR
TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING SHOWING STRONGER...MORE PERSISTENT
WEDGE. IN ADDITION...HAVE ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SW
PARTS OF CWA TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL SHORT TERM ACCUMULATIONS OF
SLEET AND OVERNIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF FREEZING RAIN. ROAD TEMPS
REMAIN 35-38 IN MOST LOCATIONS...THANKS TO ALL OF THE RECENT WARM
WEATHER...SO MAIN PROBLEMS OVERNIGHT WILL BE ON TREES...POWER
LINES...BRIDGES...AND OVERPASSES. HOWEVER...ROAD PROBLEMS MAY
DEVELOP IN EARNEST...ESPECIALLY FROM ATL-AHN...NORTHWARD...SAT
MORNING AS TEMPERATURES IN THESE AREAS DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S. IN
ADDITION TO ABOVE NOTED CHANGES TO TEMP GRIDS...LOWERED DEWPOINT
GRIDS SLIGHTLY OVERNIGHT AND INTO SAT MORNING...AND ADJUSTED POPS
UPWARD TO 100 TONIGHT AND SAT IN MOST AREAS. WX TYPE GRIDS WERE
ALSO ADJUSTED TO ACCOUNT FOR LARGER AREA OF EXPECTED WINTER PCPN
INTO SW COUNTIES. MAY NEED TO EXPAND ADVISORY EASTWARD BEFORE
EVENING HAS ENDED.

&&

.AVIATION...STRONG HIGH PRESSURE WEDGING DOWN THE APPALACHIANS INTO
GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER LOUISIANA
SPREADS MOISTURE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST U.S. MIXED BAG OF
PRECIPITATION WITH FREEZING RAIN BECOMING THE MOST LIKELY EVENT OVER
NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.

CIGS 3 TO 4 THSD FT WEST SIDE OF COUNTY WARNING WILL CONTINUE TO
SPREAD EAST AND SHOULD AFFECT MOST SITES BY TAF RELEASE TIME. PATCHY
LIGHT PRECIPITATION (RAIN AND SLEET MIX) AFFECTING MAINLY NORTH HALF
OF THE AREA WITH HEAVIER BAND OF PRECIP MAKING ITS WAY ACROSS
SOUTHERN ALABAMA. COULD SEE CIGS LOWER INTO THE 20 TO 25 HUNDRED
RANGE AS THIS HEAVIER PRECIP BAND SPREADS ACROSS THE AREA LATER
THIS EVENING (GENERALLY AFT 02Z). VSBY 6+ EVEN IN LIGHT PRECIP...BUT
MAY LOWER INTO THE 3 TO 5 MILE RANGE IN HEAVIER PRECIP. GUSTY EAST
WINDS WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS IN THE 10 TO 17KT RANGE WILL CONTINUE.

&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR NORTH AND MOST OF CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 4
PM EST SATURDAY...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWEST PART OF CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL
10 AM EST SATURDAY...

[Guest]

I guess about the only positive is that this occurring on a Saturday, not a weekday with the typical rushhour traffic. That would be a HEADACHE in the Atlanta area, I am sure.