Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Don't let the past few days of warm weather fool you -- it's still wintertime.

If there's any doubt, consider Thursday's forecast, which calls for possible snowfall in the evening as temperatures descend into the lower 30s.

"The ground will still be relatively warm from the weather we've had over the past several days," said Nate Mayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City. "There could be a little bit of accumulation on grassy areas and on bridges and overpasses."

Added Mayes: "People might want to take care and watch for black ice on the roads. What may look like water or rain puddles on the road is actually frozen."

Mayes said Gwinnett County residents can expect highs in the upper 50s and lows in the lower 40s Wednesday with a 60-percent chance of rain. On Thursday, the chance of rain is 100 percent in the morning and afternoon and could switch to snow by evening.

On Friday, the forecast is for clear skies with lows in the upper 20s, Mayes said.

Local weather enthusiast Jon Richards said it will still be cold but Gwinnettians will "finally get some nice weather."

Richards said Thursday's chances of snow accumulation are slim, but residents should indeed beware of black ice on the roads.

The National Weather Service issued an advisory this week regarding a "strong, low pressure system" moving across the state on Thursday.

According to the advisory: "A deep, cold air mass will begin to spread into the area from west to east Thursday afternoon and evening. As a result, there is a potential for rain to change over to snow across parts of North Georgia."

The release also stated that "no widespread travel difficulties are expected with the initial snowfall Thursday, except possibly in the Northeast Georgia mountains, where there is a greater potential for higher snow accumulations."