Will it snow in Savannah this weekend? Don't expect to see a winter wonderland.
Parts of the Southeast are still recovering from a winter storm that brought several inches of snow to north and central Georgia last weekend. With another winter storm expected later this week, Savannah-area residents are wondering if the white flurries will reach the coastal city this time.
According to forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS), the answer is not quite. Instead, Savannah will most likely experience a bout of freezing rain Friday night into Saturday morning.
More: At least 2 dead, tens of thousands without power as brutal winter storm slams South
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Surface temperatures have to be below freezing in order for rain to freeze on contact, creating a glaze of ice, said Charleston NWS Lead Forecaster Steven Taylor.
Lows of around 30 degrees are expected over the weekend.
In the event of freezing rain, ice may accumulate in trees and other elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses. At times, tree branches can break under a heavier accumulation of ice, but Savannah will most likely experience a light sheen, said Taylor.
With the risk for freezing rain increasing across Southeast South Carolina and Southeast Georgia, here is a brief summary of the types of winter weather products that are issued for freezing rain. #chswx #savwx #gawx #chswx pic.twitter.com/MJsDxvNOA5
— NWS Charleston, SC (@NWSCharlestonSC) January 18, 2022
“It’s too soon to say whether that will happen or not, but the potential is certainly there for some minor icing to occur,” said Taylor.
Southeast Georgia experienced their last bout of winter precipitation in January 2018, where several inches of snow fell across Chatham County and surrounding regions. Before then, the last snowfall was in 1996.
“Winter weather is pretty rare in this part of the world,” Taylor said. "To say whether we’ll have additional bouts of winter weather, that’s certainly something we’ll be watching over the coming weeks.”
The closest area that might see some snow this time around will be farther north into South Carolina, North Carolina and, possibly, north Georgia, according to the NWS.
As for how residents should prepare, the NWS said that power outages are always possible with freezing rain. Be sure to have extra cash on hand in case the power is out because ATM machines will not work. Those who run generators should make sure that it’s well ventilated to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Residents should continue monitoring weather reports and their city’s public safety channels.
NWS Winter Safety Webpage: https://www.weather.gov/wrn/winter_safety
NWS Charleston Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSCharlestonSC
GEMA Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorgiaEMAHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Will it snow in Savannah GA? Weather experts weigh in on winter storm
