what are ATL winters like? (Atlanta, Boston: transplants, airport, suburban)

[dxiweodwo]

I'd have to agree with Matt here.....winters in ATL are cooler than what people expect, especially if you live in a rural area or out in the 'burbs.

You can expect highs in the upper 50's and low 60's during November and March, and upper 40's and low 50's from December-February, first frost came in last year where I lived (Henry County) on October 30th, and the Last Frost was, in fact, on April 30th!! We had a low of 34 on April 30th!!

If you live in Henry/Spalding/Fayette/ and Coweta Counties.....then your low on a clear, calm night will be between 10-20 degrees cooler than mid-town ATL.

You can pretty much expect about 6-8 days in January where the high fails to make it out of the 32-37 degree range.....and some days where it gets really windy and it fails to warm past the upper 20's, on both January 2nd and on January 20th the high was only about 29 degrees, and both of those nights the temps (in the 'burbs) fell to the low teens, and single digits in the Mountains.

Matt is correct about the wedge, when you have a stationary front that wraps around North GA, upstate SC, and the Piedmont of NC, than it dosen't allow for warmer air from the south to come thru.....and all you get is cold northeasterly winds. This typically happens from Late March- Mid April. If I recall correctly, on March 30th we only had a high of 47, and on April 14th the high was only 44 and lots of places in the mountains got sleet that day.

To sum it all up, winters in North GA are like this:

1. about 12 days where the high is < 40, and 5 days where the high is < 35

2. About 20 days where the high is 40-49, and 25 days where the high is 50-59

3. About 12 days between 60-69, and only about 3 or 4 in the 70s.

[dxiweodwo]

Originally Posted by Scraper Enthusiast

Such is relative. In reality, the differences between Atlanta and N. Florida, and Atlanta and Cincinnati, within the winter, in terms of temperature, are roughly the same.

That would be correct......Lake City, FL (North Florida) has an Avg. high of 62 in Jan, Atlanta is 51, and Cincy is about 39.

lol....it's funny how some people are saying that Atlanta's winters are halfway between Cincy's and south FL.....lol. Miami has an avg. high of 79 in January.....so if Atl is 51, that means that's it's pretty much halfway between Miami and Minneapolis. lol

[matt8325]

Originally Posted by neil0311

According to the same source, there were 7 days below 25 degrees this year as recorded by the ASOS/AWOS at Cobb McCollum Field (near Town Center Mall). The interesting thing is that both the actual highs and actual lows increased sharply in the beginning of Feb. So January, as we all know, is the cold month in Atlanta, with low temperatures dipping below 25 degrees at times, but no more than 25% of the month based on 2008 numbers, and high temperatures being way above freezing in the 40's, 50's, and yes....some days in the 60's. February and March were much warmer in both actual low and high temperatures.

In fact, the actual high on March 1 was 62 with a low of 44, and on March 15...still officially winter...was 71 degress with a low temp of 55 degrees. Those are summer temperatures in New England.

A credible source for anyone interested as mentioned previously:

Welcome to Weather Underground : Weather Underground

It's funny you point out that it was 71 on March 15, but you dont point out it was 50 on March 30.

[matt8325]

Originally Posted by Georgia

I don't think I have touched a coat outside of a jacket in 4 years.
You will probably have one to two ice storms in January. Last 1 day.
Maybe a snow sciff, total time 20 minutes.
There may be a few nights that dip below freezing.

Winter in Atlanta is like spring in Chicago. It's the hot and humid summers here that will boil your brain.

I would say that winter in Atlanta is quite a bit cooler than spring in Chicago. For instance, the average high in Chicago in May is 70. That's much warmer than the average is in Atlanta in winter.

[dxiweodwo]

Originally Posted by matt8325

I would say that winter in Atlanta is quite a bit cooler than spring in Chicago. For instance, the average high in Chicago in May is 70. That's much warmer than the average is in Atlanta in winter.

I'd say January in Atlanta is roughly equal to March in Chicago......

[Mattie]

So funny! Nine pages of arguing whether of not Atlanta gets cold... Meanwhile, not to skew anybody's averages or anything, but predicted lows tomorrow night are for the 30's, and it's only Oct! Hell yeah, GA gets cold, and I'm from the Northeast originally.

[matt8325]

Originally Posted by dxiweodwo

I'd say January in Atlanta is roughly equal to March in Chicago......

That's probably true, but March isn't spring, or at least it's not until late March.

[matt8325]

Originally Posted by Mattie

So funny! Nine pages of arguing whether of not Atlanta gets cold... Meanwhile, not to skew anybody's averages or anything, but predicted lows tomorrow night are for the 30's, and it's only Oct! Hell yeah, GA gets cold, and I'm from the Northeast originally.

It's gonna be just as cold tonight in North GA as it will be in Boston !!! It can get pretty chilly even early in the fall in GA. It's even been in the 30's in late September !!! I'm sure even a Yankee would consider that chilly.

[staywarm2]

It Depends Upon How Long You've Lived in Atlanta

The first year here I froze to death. Moved from South FL in Sept., and by mid Dec., I was so cold. I wore sweats to bed for about 2 months the first winter. Of course, I was in a drafty apartment. Now after 5 years I can tolerate it a lot better and still have not bought a heavy winter coat, just a quilted one. But it isn't South Florida, by any means. In FL I never got a flu shot. The first two winters here, I got so, so sick. After that I started taking the flu shots and haven't had that yuk since.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by matt8325

It's gonna be just as cold tonight in North GA as it will be in Boston !!! It can get pretty chilly even early in the fall in GA. It's even been in the 30's in late September !!! I'm sure even a Yankee would consider that chilly.

Sorry, but you have no conception what cold weather is and what a real winter is like. I don't know why I let myself get sucked back into this discussion....so I'll say this once more and won't be back to this thread:

Atlanta isn't Miami. It's not San Diego. It's not a place you want to live if you dislike any cold weather at all or you want perpetual summer. Boston is on the water and stays a bit warmer this time of year than inland areas. We used to have low-30s to mid-20's by this time in October. The average low for my town 40 miles west of Boston is 34 degrees tonight. We turned our furnace on in late September. You have no idea. Snow in April and weeks where the temp never goes above freezing during January and February.

However, Atlanta winters are quite mild, with daytime highs way above freezing 98% of the time, and lows that can reach the lower 20's on a handful of nights in the middle of January, for an hour or two before they start heading back up at daylight. There is virtually no snow, but every once in a while an inch or two falls. In February and March, you are quite like to see temperatures in the 50's, 60's, and even 70's, although there are records and there are one-off cold snaps.

If you've ever lived through a real winter, you know the difference and you know the reality of the weather in Atlanta.