Ice almost gone…. Snow to come?….Maybe

While local preparations in advance and during the weekend Ice Storm Fern were very effective, at least in the local area, we are not out of the woods yet. According to the National Weather Service, there is now a possibility of snow overnight Friday into Saturday this weekend and it too has a name – Winter Storm Gianna.

But will it impact us here in Gwinnett and Walton County?

That we have yet to see. By Wednesday evening the likelihood was at 62 %. However, Tuesday the likelihood was at 72 % so the trend, at this time at least, is up.

According to the National Weather Service’s forecast for the local area, “very cold temperatures and hazardous wind chills are expected through the weekend into early next week. There is an increasing risk for measurable snow across portions of north and central Georgia Friday night through Saturday night.”

However, “confidence remains low on location/extent and potential amounts of snow.”

So basically, we don’t yet know anything conclusive at all. But the good news is, local emergency services are already gearing up just in case. And they had last weekend to practice.

There is confidence, however, in the fact that temperatures will remain low.

There is some talk of a “bomb cyclone” which sounds pretty scary. According to Weather.com, “the term ‘bomb cyclone,’ or the meteorological term ‘bombogenesis,‘ refers to the central pressure of a low-pressure system dropping at least 24 millibars within 24 hours. It describes a storm that is intensifying quickly and one that could bring blinding snow and damaging winds.”

Hopefully that isn’t anything we will have to worry about. But I’m sure we will hear plenty about it if it comes anywhere near.