THURSDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Snow in mountains, chilly temps in Atlanta signal winter — again

Temperatures in the upper 60s a few days ago could have been the sign of an early spring, but this is North Georgia and the weather can have a mind of its own.

It certainly feels like winter Thursday with subfreezing lows in the northeast Georgia mountains and upper 30s in metro Atlanta. With a breeze blowing, it feels up to 10 degrees colder outside, according to Channel 2 Action News.

A cold front swept through the state Wednesday, dropping temperatures and bringing some snow flurries to parts of the mountains overnight. Stray snow showers are possible there through the morning, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

Schools in Fannin and Union counties are closed Thursday, as well as some government services in Fannin County.

“I promise you things are going to get a lot better in March,” he said. “By April 1, the average high is 70 degrees. We are not too far away from the springtime weather.”

The snow should stay in the mountains Thursday, according to Channel 2. In metro Atlanta, the remaining clouds from Wednesday’s system are expected to clear out, but it won’t get much warmer.

The projected high is 47 degrees in the city, even under lots of sunshine, Monahan said. That’s more than 10 degrees below average for this time of year.

“It’s going to be cold all day long, breezy,” he said. “Our temperature is in the 40s, but with the wind it’s going to feel even colder.”

Friday is forecast to be slightly warmer with an afternoon high of 50 degrees. It comes with a 40% chance of light rain in the afternoon and another shot at snow overnight, according to Channel 2.

The snowfall forecast for Friday night “looks exactly like the one that just came through last night,” Monahan said. A dusting to a half-inch of accumulation is possible in the higher elevations of the mountains through early Saturday morning, he said.

“Watch out for some slippery roads if you have plans early on Saturday morning in the North Georgia mountains,” he said. “Beyond that, a great weekend is on the way. We're going to clear out, and we're going to be mostly sunny.”

By Sunday afternoon, Monahan said temperatures will return to the 60s. More wet weather is on the way for the start of March, according to Channel 2.

The Thursday morning drive is starting out with serious crashes on the north and south sides of the city, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

A crash on I-75 North near Chastain Road is causing big outbound delays through Kennesaw. Only a right lane is open at times, the Traffic Center reported.

To get around the backups, the Traffic Center suggests commuters take Cobb Parkway or I-575. The wreck is not impacting the southbound ride on I-75, traffic reporter Mark Arum said.

While Arum said the rest of the interstates are in fine shape, an injury crash has shut down a busy Union City road. South Fulton Parkway is blocked at Stonewall Tell Road while authorities are on scene, according to the Traffic Center.

Roosevelt Highway is a good alternate around the closure, the Traffic Center reported.

» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter. 

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