The FOX 5 Storm Team say Atlanta is heading into a winter season without a strong signal for colder or warmer conditions, but with La Niña lurking in the Pacific Ocean, forecasters warn that one or two disruptive winter storms remain firmly on the table.
Atlanta winter weather outlook
Big picture view:
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center released its winter outlook on Oct. 16, calling for "equal chances" of above-, near- or below-normal temperatures and precipitation across north and central Georgia. In plain terms, forecasters say that means there’s no strong signal either way. So what happens this winter will depend more on timing and the exact path of each storm than any broad seasonal pattern.
On average, metro Atlanta sees about 36 nights each winter with temperatures at or below freezing, according to NOAA’s 30-year climate normals. That number can swing wildly. Some winters barely hit half that, while 1968 still stands out as Atlanta’s coldest on record with 82 freezing nights. The city’s first freeze typically arrives around Nov. 13, though it has come as early as Oct. 11, 1906, and as late as Dec. 18, 1998. Even in spring, the threat can linger. Atlanta has recorded freezes as late as April 25.
Ice, however, remains the metro’s biggest wild card. Most winters pass without a major ice storm, but when they do hit, they can shut down roads and services for days. Past events in January 2011, February 2014 and the back-to-back storms of January 2025 all brought the region to a standstill despite relatively small accumulations by northern standards.
White Christmas in Georgia?
Dig deeper:
Atlanta doesn’t see much snow in a typical winter. On average, the city gets about 2.2 inches a year and only about a day and a half with at least an inch on the ground. NOAA records show the earliest measurable snowfall came on Nov. 11, 1968, and the latest fell on March 24, 1983. As for a white Christmas, that’s more myth than memory. The National Weather Service says Atlanta hasn’t had an official one since at least 1954, though parts of north Georgia last saw one in 2010.
With La Niña conditions in place, forecasters will be watching for those classic southern snow setups. A surge of cold air dropping in from the north meeting moisture from the Gulf. That combination has been behind several of metro Atlanta’s biggest winter hits in the past 25 years. No one can predict a specific storm months ahead, but the setup does increase the chance of a brief, high-impact event like the 2014 gridlock storm that froze the city in place.
The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City is urging a "prepared but not panicked" approach this winter. That means getting ready for occasional freezing nights, the possibility of one significant storm, and the need to act quickly if it develops with little warning.
2025-26 winter in North Georgia
What we don't know:
Some of the things that simply will not be known as we head into winter:
Biggest winter storms in Georgia
Timeline:
Here’s a year-by-year, AP-style timeline using the "Metro Atlanta ice storms (1996–2025)" list we built, with dates, brief details, and how long travel was effectively disrupted.
Atlanta was hit by back-to-back ice storms Jan. 22–23 and Jan. 29–30, glazing roads, toppling trees and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands. Travel was hindered for several days after each wave.
A Jan. 25–27 icing episode spread into Gwinnett County and the northeastern suburbs. A brief glaze led to spotty bridge and overpass problems, with slow travel for about a day.
Freezing rain Dec. 14–15 produced up to about a half-inch glaze in parts of the metro, downing limbs and closing some roads and elevated spans for roughly a day or two.
A Dec. 15 "black ice" event struck at rush hour, triggering thousands of crashes and snarling traffic into the overnight; impacts lingered through the next morning.
A major winter storm Jan. 9–10 dropped snow and sleet across metro Atlanta, followed by freezing drizzle and subfreezing temperatures that prolonged slick roads for multiple days.
A quick-hitting Jan. 25 freezing-rain episode clipped the metro. Travel issues were mainly limited to bridges and higher elevations for part of a day.
"SnowJam" 2014 arrived Jan. 28 with light snow on warm roads that flash-froze by evening, creating region-wide gridlock and strandings into the next day. (Weather.gov)
A second, more powerful winter storm spread heavy snow and damaging ice across north and central Georgia. Travel disruptions and power outages lasted two to three days in parts of the metro.
Cold-air damming set the stage for significant icing north and northeast of Atlanta, with scattered outages and difficult travel that persisted into the following day.
Another round of wintry mix followed record cold, re-icing roads and producing renewed travel problems for about a day. Farther north, heavy snow compounded impacts.
Jan. 6–7 brought several inches of snow to north Georgia and up to a quarter-inch of ice in parts of the Atlanta area, causing tough travel Friday night into Saturday and scattered outages.
A Jan. 15–16 storm ended Atlanta’s long measurable-snow drought. A wedge of cold air turned rain to wintry mix and snow; slick roads and scattered outages affected travel through Sunday.
A winter storm brought the first widespread snow and freezing rain in years, closing schools and slowing roads across the metro; impacts carried into Saturday.
A second storm within two weeks added around an inch of snow in the metro, causing fresh travel delays and flight disruptions for roughly a day.
Your first winter in Georgia?
Local perspective:
Snow, ice, and freezing rain behave differently in metro Atlanta than in northern states, and small systems can cause big impacts.
Here are some key things to know before winter sets in:
What you can do:
While the first day of freezing temperatures is likely a bit away, there are a few things that can be done now to prepare:
When does winter begin?
What's next:
The first hard freeze is expected early Monday morning.
Meteorological winter runs from December 1 through February 28.
The winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year, takes place Saturday, Dec. 21, 2025 at 4:03 a.m. Eastern time.
The Source: The details in this story come from original forecasting by the FOX 5 Storm Team, historical data from the National Weather Service, and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports.
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