

There were 1.2 inches of snow on Christmas Day 2010. This is how Atlantans got a white Christmas, despite earlier weather predictions of a warm and dry winter. Three-four major snowstorms occurred in 2010, which made it the snowiest winter since the 1970s. However, it was a particularly bad weather year: a major snow and ice storm later that winter almost prevented the inauguration of the new governor of Georgia. In fact, in 2010, those living in the city had the first white Christmas since 1882-1883. White ChristmasĪ white Christmas doesn’t often occur in Atlanta or Georgia in general. There are some impressive photos of the aftermath here. Consequently, this led to people being stuck in traffic for hours and some even spending the night on highways. Moreover, the “Snowmaggedon” of January 28, 2014, brought some light snow but managed to cause havoc as it occurred in the middle of the day and came with very low temperatures creating ice patches on roads. The only comparison in recorded history was the Great Blizzard of 1899 which led to ice-covered roads and over a foot of snow in most city areas and beyond. Snowdrifts were recorded in northern Cobb County, where over 15 inches fell. Moreover, people were woken up by thunder and lightning. Dallas, a suburb to the west- northwest, received 17.5 inches from this storm. This blizzard caught the Southeast off-guard, with 4.5 inches settling at Atlanta airport. 1993 Storm of the CenturyĪ notable snowfall in Atlanta was March 13, 1993, when several neighborhoods had multiple inches of snow (most about 4, while some as much as 7-8 inches). Ice storms are more frequent and cause more problems for the people of Atlanta, with the most severe occurring on January 7, 1973.

This is almost nothing compared to many other parts of the US and even within Georgia, but it’s not the only type of winter weather you can expect there. The heaviest single snowfall recorded in Atlanta took place on January 23, 1940, with a total of around 10 inches of snow. While snowfall adds up to 2.2 inches per winter if it does occur, the average annual precipitation is measured at 50.43 inches. On the other hand, Atlanta gets a lot of rain evenly distributed throughout the year. Given that both the upper atmospheric temperature and lower atmospheric temperature need to be below freezing for snow to occur, hence why snow is quite rare here. With January average temperatures of 44.8 F (7.1 C), you would not expect snow to fall often, and lows at or below freezing can be expected, on average, 36 nights every year. Winters are cool and variable, and the elevation does allow for snowfall, even if this would not come in huge quantities. As a result, Atlanta’s summers are hot and humid, but the city is at high enough elevation (from 738 ft to 1050 ft) that they don’t become stifling. The Climate in Atlanta, GAĪtlanta is considered to be in an area with a humid subtropical climate, which means it would have four seasons and generous precipitation (rain or snow) throughout the year. Read on to find out all you need to know about winter in Atlanta. An Atlanta snowstorm can cause serious disruptions, even with just a few inches lying on the ground, because the locals lack familiarity with this type of weather. Yes, it does snow in Atlanta, despite the city’s warmer climate and predisposition for rain and ice over snow. However, this cultural and economic center of the state sits at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and has lots of rolling hills, so it’s not exactly outside of the risk of snow. As the capital of Georgia, Atlanta is one of the US cities easily associated with warmer weather and a low likelihood of snow.
