White New Year's Day possible as Georgia weather forecasters eye timing of cold blast

When you miss out on a white Christmas, could a somewhat snowy New Year's morning be the next best thing?

National Weather Service forecasters are calling for a 30 percent chance of precipitation for the Macon area Sunday night, but it's too early to know whether it will be drops, pellets or flakes.

"There's a potential for a wintry mix depending on how the front comes in," said Macon-Bibb County EMA Director Spencer Hawkins. "It could be a little more icy or a little more rain."

A 20 percent chance of snow is in Tuesday night's forecast, too.

The National Weather Service forecast discussion Thursday afternoon cited the looming uncertainty.

"Stay tuned for future updates throughout the next couple days, as this forecast will likely change."

At this stage in the forecast, meteorologists in Peachtree City are not expecting widespread hazardous weather.

What troubles Hawkins the most is the arctic blast of cold ushering in 2018 with temperatures well below normal.

After a projected high only in the mid-40s Sunday, temperatures will drop below freezing by New Year's morning.

"Twenties and wind chills down to the teens," Hawkins said of the forecast lows for Monday through Wednesday.

The high for the first day of the year will barely crack 40 degrees with a slight chance of rain.

Temperatures plummet to the lower 20s by Tuesday morning and only rise to the upper 30s under mostly sunny skies.

When thermometers drop below 40 degrees in Bibb County, the Salvation Army opens a warming shelter at 1955 Broadway, on the south side of downtown Macon.

"You don't necessarily need to be homeless to go to the Salvation Army," Hawkins said. "We have a lot of people who don't have heat or can't afford to run it."

In the event of power outages or widespread demand, additional warming centers could be opened with the EMA's partnerships with the Salvation Army and American Red Cross.

Those needing shelter can register at the Broadway location near the junction of Houston Avenue and Eisenhower Parkway.

If the Salvation Army is full, they will board Macon Transit Authority buses to be taken to other locations, Hawkins said.

Liz Fabian: 478-744-4303; @liz_lines

This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 2:34 PM with the headline "White New Year's Day possible as Georgia weather forecasters eye timing of cold blast."