(Cleveland)- It’s down to crunch time as the winter cold snap heads our way. The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Warning that is in effect from Midnight Thursday night until noon Saturday.
Dangerously cold wind chills are expected. Wind chills as low as 20 below zero are expected for northern Georgia.
Forecasters say temperatures are expected to rapidly begin dropping into the teens and single digits behind an arctic front on Friday. Lows in the single digits are expected Saturday morning. In addition, windy conditions are anticipated with northwest winds of 15 to 20 mph with frequent gusts of 30 to 40 mph likely. Higher gusts are possible at elevations above 2000 feet.
The National Weather Service said the record for the number of days that the temperature stayed below freezing was 6 days from February 11 to February 16, 1895.
Bring your pets inside and provide adequate shelter for livestock. Winterize your outside faucets and pipes before the cold temperatures arrive. Leave your inside faucets dripping hot and cold water during prolonged periods where temperatures do not rise above freezing. Avoid outside activities if possible. If you have to go outside dress warmly in coats, gloves, and hats.
Don Strength, White County Deputy Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday that White County Emergency Operations Center will activate at Midnight Thursday night and remain activated through noon Christmas Day if necessary.
Governor Kemp issued a State of Emergency for all 159 counties in Georgia that went into effect Wednesday. The declaration makes state resources available to local governments and entities statewide.
To assist homeowners who may lose power and stranded motorists, Georgia State Parks are opening warming stations for public use. ParkPass fees will be waived for those using warming stations. To find a full list of warming stations and their availability use this link: https://gastateparks.org/Alerts
Forecasters advise that we can expect a quick shot of wintry precipitation (mainly rain quickly changing to snow), late Thursday night into Friday morning. Snow accumulations are expected to be 1 inch at this time. Elevated concern for patchy black ice/flash freeze (late Thurs night/Friday morning) from any residual water or melting snow on the roads as temperatures drop very quickly (25-30F degrees in less than 6 hours!!)
For White County, officials say Life-threatening cold temperatures will be the main threat. Flash freezing could cause travel issues Friday morning. It will be a race between light precipitation moving out and sub-freezing temperatures moving in.
Wind gusts to 40 mph will produce wind chill factors as low as 20 below zero at times. Downed trees and power lines could cause power outages.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has as a preventive measure closed Georgia State Route 348 Richard Russell Hwy.
