North Georgia is going to get nailed...

[GAStorm]

Well Jeny, there was some light sleet here too. I can't believe it is already reaching the ground! Expect the temp to keep falling now.

[JenyEliza]

Well Jeny, there was some light sleet here too. I can't believe it is already reaching the ground! Expect the temp to keep falling now.

Light sleet near my office (Galleria/285 Area) too. Only place for the temp to go is down. In two hours, the "sun" will set too (not that we've actually seen it today).

I'm afraid we've only just begun the fun!

[JenyEliza]

I think we had a brief period of VERY light sleet earlier. It's 39 degrees currently. You could just barely see it.

It's warmer there than it is there (34 currently where I'm at...and falling).

Jeny

[JenyEliza]

Current radar:

[Brent]

I'm supposed to be warmer... I'm 80 miles southwest of Atlanta. We're expecting some Freezing Rain tonight, but not as bad as you will see.

Getting more ominous as I am now in the Winter Storm Warning.

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
220 PM CST FRI JAN 28 2005

.SYNOPSIS...COMBINATION OF WEDGE PUSHING IN FROM THE EAST AND UPPER
SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL ALLOW OVER-RUNNING WINTER
PRECIP EVENT FOR OUR AREA TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.
&&

.SHORT TERM...DEWPOINTS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA HAVE FALLEN INTO
THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS AS COLDER DRIER AIR OVER-SPREADS THE AREA
FROM THE EAST. LATEST RADAR LOOPS INDICATE RAIN DEVELOPING RAPIDLY
TO OUR WEST. THIS RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND WITH
WET BULB TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 20S/LOWER 30S EXPECT TEMPERATURES
TO FALL TO CRITICAL LEVELS DUE TO EVAPORATIVE COOLING ACROSS EAST-
CENTRAL/NORTHEAST ALABAMA. THIS WILL BE MAINLY A FREEZING RAIN
EVENT. HAVE EXPANDED WINTER STORM WARNING BACK TO THE WEST AND ALSO
EXPANDED THE ADVISORY SOUTH AND WEST. BIG CONCERN IS ICING THAT MAY
CAUSE POWER OUTAGES AS WELL AS DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS.

MAJORITY OF RAIN/FREEZING RAIN WILL SHIFT OUT OF THE AREA BY LATE
SATURDAY MORNING AND CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE RAPIDLY. ANY RAIN
SATURDAY AFTERNOON WILL BE ON THE LIGHT SIDE.

SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE AREA
AND LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST. WILL CARRY SMALL POPS EACH
PERIOD WITH MORE CLOUDS THAN SUNSHINE.
&&

.LONG TERM(WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)...STAYED CLOSER TO THE DGEX
MODEL WITH UPPER LOW REMAINING ACROSS THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY WITH
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. SMALL
POPS ON WEDNESDAY AND THEN DRY CONDITIONS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...

GADSDEN 30 40 35 51 36 / 99 90 20 20
ANNISTON 30 40 36 54 39 / 99 90 20 20
BIRMINGHAM 32 42 36 53 38 / 99 80 20 20
TUSCALOOSA 34 46 36 53 38 / 99 70 20 20
CALERA 32 43 36 54 39 / 99 80 20 20
AUBURN 32 44 37 58 43 / 99 90 20 20
MONTGOMERY 35 48 37 57 43 / 99 70 20 20
TROY 35 49 38 61 45 / 99 80 20 20
&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING
ZONES 17..18..19..20..21..26..27..28..29..38.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING
ZONES 24..25..36..37..47.

[Seele]

The sleet isn't so light anymore...wish it would stay as sleet.

[Brent]

The sleet isn't so light anymore...wish it would stay as sleet.

I prefer sleet as well, but it's not going to happen. A very cold blah rain that freezes when it hits everything. How wonderful.

[AnthonyC]

If you begin as sleet, there's a deeper layer of colder air aloft and at the surface. If you begin as freezing rain, there's a very thin layer of cold air at the surface. I think the chance of snow is gone...not enough cold air at the very highest altitudes to keep the precip frozen all the way down to the ground...though areas north and esp. east of Atlanta...Athens...might begin as snow. Wet-bulb cooling is an amazing thing...it may be 37 F once the precip begins, but it quickly drops to 29 F with heavy precip. Very interesting process. But once the low heads north and east and the precip stops, temperatures should rise quickly. So hang in there Atlanta...only another 24 hours!!! lol.

Anthony

[DLI2k5]

I just looked at TWC's current radar map. Could someone tell me, the big area of white, which is indicative of snow, is it actually reaching the ground as snow? Or is that mostly virga?

[Seele]

TWC's map has shown white over me all this afternoon and haven't seen a flake of snow. All sleet and rain.

[DLI2k5]

Very strange, i've always thought the pink indicated sleet and frz.rain. Not sure why it's indicating the precip. that way. Someone chime in on this please!

[JenyEliza]

Left work at 4:45 pm.

Drove out of the parking deck and headed home from work in a sleet shower. As I got closer to home it slowed considerably (5:30), but saw a flake or two...then by the time I hit my driveway it was sprinkles (6pm). Now. Nothing. No rain. No sleet. No snow flake. Guess we're in a lull.

Very interesting storm so far....

We're all geared up and ready for whatever hits us!

Jeny

Edited to add: Total miles from work to driveway: 12. TWELVE. Amazing to see the different types of precip in twelve miles, and that it took me 1 hour, 15 minutes to get home.

[Brent]

I never have liked radars that showed different colors for snow and mixtures, they are hardly ever right in a situation like this.

It's just starting to rain here(MISERABLE). 36 degrees. There's going to be some big problems in the morning I think.

[DLI2k5]

I never have liked radars that showed different colors for snow and mixtures, they are hardly ever right in a situation like this.

It's just starting to rain here(MISERABLE). 36 degrees. There's going to be some big problems in the morning I think.

So, all the white on the map is snow, but may not be actually reaching the ground, thus curtailing virga? Or do you think it is actually snowing a bit in GA, Jeny mentioned she saw a flake or two.

[Brent]

I never have liked radars that showed different colors for snow and mixtures, they are hardly ever right in a situation like this.

It's just starting to rain here(MISERABLE). 36 degrees. There's going to be some big problems in the morning I think.

So, all the white on the map is snow, but may not be actually reaching the ground, thus curtailing virga? Or do you think it is actually snowing a bit in GA, Jeny mentioned she saw a flake or two.

There could be a FEW flakes flying, but other than that, no. I've seen a couple of reports north of here in Alabama of some flakes as well.