The skyline is seen Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
This story was updated on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 3:51 p.m.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has expanded a winter storm watch to include metro Atlanta as the region prepares for a second straight weekend of winter weather — this time with snow instead of ice.
The watch initially covered a nearly 20-county area east of metro Atlanta. NWS has now added over 25 more counties to the watch that include the cities of Atlanta, East Point, Marietta, Decatur, Dawsonville, Milledgeville, Ellijay, Covington, Stockbridge, Madison, Gray, Riverdale, Chatsworth, Blue Ridge, Winder, Eatonton, Woodstock, Swainsboro, Monroe, Monticello, Conyers, Lawrenceville, Wrightsville, Jackson, Cumming, Jasper, Toomsboro, and Jeffersonville.
A winter storm watch is in effect for much of Georgia this weekend. (National Weather Service)
The winter storm watch is in effect from Friday evening through Sunday morning. Up to three inches of snow and wind gusts as high as 35 mph are possible in these areas, according to NWS.
Atlanta is forecast to get 1.2 inches of snow this weekend, with a small chance of as much as 2 inches. Those in areas of the state farther east and north will receive more snow.
The storm could make roads and bridges slick and hazardous, so drivers should consider delaying any travel this weekend.
Snowfall totals expected across Georgia on Saturday, Jan. 31 and Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (National Weather Service)
Bitterly cold temperatures expected in Atlanta this weekend
An extreme cold watch will also be in effect for all of Georgia on Saturday night and Sunday. The high temperature in Atlanta on Saturday will be 29 degrees with a low of 15 degrees. Sunday in Atlanta will bring a high of 32 degrees and a low of 21, with a wind chill that could hit below zero.
The wind chills in North and Central Georgia — including Atlanta — will be dangerously low this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. (NWS)
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said his office is monitoring and preparing for the winter storm.
“Forecasts suggest this system will be very different and smaller in impact, but I’m still urging Georgians to remain weather aware and stay tuned for updates,” he wrote on X.
This will be the second weekend in a row for winter weather in Georgia. An ice storm caused tens of thousands of power outages in metro Atlanta and over 1,000 flight cancellations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
