Temperatures to Plummet Today as Arctic Cold Front Moves In

The warmest it's going to be all day today is when you first woke up, as the temperature falls below freezing by 8 a.m. and keeps going down until it drops to the teens–and then keeps falling.

The National Weather Service says an Arctic cold front was entering the state early this morning from the northwest. It will sweep thorugh all of north and central Georgia by noon, bringing with it the sharply falling temperatures and strong, gusty northwest winds.These winds could blow down small or weak trees and tree limbs, resulting in scattered power outages.

By Sunday morning it will be 19 degrees. But that's not the worst of it. Strong winds will make it feel like it's in the teens or even colder. Wind gusts of 24 mph this morning will increase to 37 mph by noon, and stay that high until 5 p.m. Even after that, the wind gusts will stay above 20 mph until past 3 a.m. on Sunday.

At 8 a.m. Sunday it will feel like it's 10 degrees outside. And though the temperature may rise to 40 degrees, wind gusts will never let you feel like it's anything but freezing outside all day Sunday.

say that Georgia has enjoyed an unusually mild and warm winter this year, causing plants and flowers to begin blooming unseasonably early. So homeowners need should protect their plants from the frost and colder weather, and advise gardeners to follow these guidelines to help keep their plants healthy:

• Cover plants and flowers with frost cloth or a sheet.
• Remove the frost cloth first in the morning; otherwise, the sun will trap in heat and cause more damage.
• Water, water, water!  Water the garden and containers before a hard freeze and again after the freeze. The added moisture will allow the plants to tolerate the cold and bounce back to life.
• Don’t worry if plants are droopy the day after a deep freeze. Give them time and they’ll usually spring back.
• Adding a layer of mulch to gardens helps regulate the temperature and keep plants moist. Cover gardens with a 1-2 inch layer of mulch.
• Plants in containers can be grouped closely together on a porch or patio, or moved to a protected area.