Freeze Watch | Georgia Weather 6 AM

Good morning! I'm Aaron Jolly. And welcome to the Georgia Weather Podcast. It's Monday, February 23rd. And folks.. Winter just sent us a late invoice. Step outside at 5 A.M. And you're feeling 25 degrees in Metro Atlanta. Not the actual temperature. That's the wind chill. The thermometer reads 26, but northwest gusts around 12 miles an hour are stealing every bit of warmth off your skin. That's the kind of cold that makes your coffee steam disappear before it reaches your nose. Down in Metro Atlanta, you'll climb to 41 degrees by 3 P.M. Under sunny skies. Sounds pleasant until those gusts hit 30 miles an hour. Your trash cans are going on an adventure today. Drift southeast toward Savannah and the coast. You're in better shape. Highs reach 48 degrees around 4 P.M. With steady northwest winds between 14 and 17 miles an hour. Still breezy, still chilly, but manageable. Over in eastern Georgia, you'll see 49 degrees by 3 P.M. Winds are lighter there, 9 to 15 miles an hour. The warmest spot in the state today. And it's still not cracking 50. Tonight the bottom drops out. Clear skies and calm winds mean lows in the mid 20s everywhere. Coastal Georgia sinks to 28. Atlanta and eastern Georgia hit 25. Cover those outdoor plants or say goodbye. One more thing to watch. Fire danger is elevated today. Dry air plus gusty winds equals trouble. Be careful with anything that sparks. Now the plot twist for this week. Tuesday warms into the low 50s statewide. Wednesday pushes into the 60s with clouds building. Then Thursday and Friday.. Rain rolls in with highs near 70 degrees. We go from frostbite weather to practically spring in four days. By the weekend, you're looking at lingering showers but temperatures flirting with 70. I'll be tracking that rain all week. Charge your phone and keep an umbrella handy by Wednesday night. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow. Take care!