Coldest night of fall ahead, with frost advisory in Atlanta, freeze warning in mountains

“It is going to be quite chilly ... the coolest air that we have seen in about six months,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Ashley Kramlich said.

It’ll be so cold, in fact, that a frost advisory will be in effect for metro Atlanta on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and a freeze warning will be in place in far northeast Georgia.

Freeze warnings are issued in the spring and fall when freezing temps could damage plants. In the fall, the first widespread freeze marks the end of the growing season. If temperatures are forecast to fall lower than 36 degrees but don’t quite reach the freezing mark, a frost advisory is issued.

Residents should protect sensitive plants and make sure pets have a warm place to sleep Wednesday night, as temps are expected to drop into the mid-30s across North Georgia with places like Blairsville possibly touching the 30-degree mark.

This cool, crisp air originates from the Beaufort Sea, just north of Canada and east of Alaska, according to the National Weather Service. The front should also protect the Southeastern U.S. from a tropical disturbance in the Atlantic that is forecast to make its way toward the Caribbean Sea over the next few days.

Don’t worry, though; 70-degree temps will be back for the weekend. As the cold air mass sinks, temperatures will rise back into the low to mid-70s by Saturday.

Conditions will stay dry, too. Aside from a very slim chance of rain — just 10% — Monday, there is no rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future.