ATLANTA – Thanksgiving morning is off to a cold and blustery start across North Georgia, with wind chills dipping into the 30s and breezy conditions expected through the afternoon. Despite full sunshine, temperatures will struggle to climb out of the low 50s — and even then, it won’t feel that warm thanks to persistent northwest winds.

How it’s starting:

At 6 a.m., Atlanta was at 39 degrees with a north-northwest wind near 14 mph, enough to lower the wind chill and make conditions feel several degrees colder. The combination of dry air and gusty winds will continue throughout the day, creating an elevated fire risk and making outdoor burning unsafe.

Across the region, wind chills early Thursday ranged from the upper 20s to low 30s. Carrollton and Blairsville both reported “feels-like” temperatures in the 20s, while Thomaston saw wind chills around 29 degrees. Gusts of 20 to 25 mph are possible through the afternoon before gradually easing on Friday.

Thanksgiving Thursday
☀️ Sunny, breezy, cold
High: 50–52°
Feels like: 40s (wind chills in 30s through late morning)
Wind: NW 15–25 mph
Fire risk: Elevated — avoid outdoor burning

Tonight
🌙 Clear and cold
Low: 28–33°
Breezy early, winds tapering overnight

Friday (Black Friday)
☀️ Sunny, cold start, lighter winds
High: 52–55°
Low: upper 20s to low 30s

Saturday
⛅ Dry during the day; clouds increase
High: 55–58°
🌧️ Light showers possible late night

Sunday
🌧️ Scattered showers; major national travel impacts
High: 58–60°

Early next week
🌦️ More rain chances Monday night and Tuesday
Beneficial rainfall expected

What is coming:

Clear skies tonight will allow temperatures to drop again, setting up an even colder start to Black Friday. The calm conditions ahead of the weekend could break late Saturday night as a large, far-reaching storm system moves across the country. Most of Saturday remains dry, but light showers may begin after dark. The system is expected to bring significant travel impacts nationwide on Sunday, though rainfall amounts in Georgia will be limited.

Additional rain chances arrive Monday night and Tuesday, with higher rainfall totals expected early next week.

AtlantaWeatherNews

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger testifies in 2022 before a U.S. House of Representatives committee on the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. On Wednesday, a Georgia prosecutor dropped all charges against President Donald Trump and others accused of election interference based on a call that Trump made to Raffensperger. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 26 (UPI) — The prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump dropped the charges on Wednesday.

Pete Skandalakis, executive director of Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, who took over the case when Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis was disqualified, filed a motion Wednesday saying that he’s dropping the case “to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality”

“[The case] is on life support and the decision what to do with it falls on me and me alone. But unlike family members who must make the emotional decision to withdraw loved ones from life-sustaining treatment, I have no emotional connection to this case. As a former elected official who ran as both a Democrat and a Republican and now is the Executive Director of a non-partisan agency, this decision is not guided by a desire to advance an agenda but is based on my beliefs and understanding of the law,” he wrote.

Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in August 2023 to a racketeering indictment in their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Willis brought the charges after a phone call from Trump to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to “find” the votes needed to give the state’s electoral votes to Trump.

Skandalakis addressed the call to Raffensperger in his motion.

“While the call is concerning, reasonable minds could differ as to how to interpret the call. One interpretation is that President Donald J. Trump, without explicitly stating it, is instructing the Secretary of State to fictitiously or fraudulently produce enough votes to secure a victory in Georgia. An alternative interpretation is that President Donald J. Trump, genuinely believing fraud had occurred, is asking the Secretary of State to investigate and determine whether sufficient irregularities exist to change the election outcome. When multiple interpretations are equally plausible, the accused is entitled to the benefit of the doubt and should not be presumed to have acted criminally.”

Willis was eventually disqualified because of a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor on the case. After she was disqualified, Skandalakis was tasked with finding another prosecutor to handle the case. When none was found, on Nov. 14 he took on the case himself.

Some defendants in the case — Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro and Scott Hall — took plea deals after agreeing to testify. Trump later gave them all federal pardons.

Georgia Tech is facing its bitter rival on Friday afternoon on national television. It is a chance to show the country, despite two losses in the past three games, that the Yellow Jackets are a top team. Georgia Tech lost to NC State and Pittsburgh and is looking to close its season strong. They are 9-2 and have a chance to pick up a quality win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

Georgia comes in at 10-1 on the season and has won seven consecutive games. The Bulldogs are in contention for a SEC Championship game spot and are the No. 4-ranked team in the country. The Bulldogs are ranked in the top 30 in total offense, averaging 430.3 yards per game. It will be a challenge for Georgia Tech to slow them down and try to come out with a win. 

The Yellow Jackets are a big underdog in their matchup against the Bulldogs on Friday. According to ESPN’s FPI, Georgia Tech is only given a 13% chance to win, and the Bulldogs are given an 87% chance to win. 

Georgia Tech fell to Georgia last year in one of the best games in series’ history in 2024. Georgia held on to win 44-42 in an eight overtime game. It was the game where Haynes King captivated the country with his play and valiant effort. King finished with 303 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He carved the Bulldogs defense on the ground with 110 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Head coach Brent Key talked about if the team has more motivation heading into the matchup after last year’s result.

Advertisement

“Yeah, I don’t know if it’s more motivation. I do not get into the motivating part of it. I get into playing the game for the right reasons. And then the 30 football team won’t even here. So years don’t carry over to each other. They’re completely week to week. It’s different. Look, I mean, all that matters is this week right now. Everything that’s happened in the past, everything that happens future next week. None of that stuff matters this week. Not one bit of it. Records, you know, wins, losses of late. I mean, no of that does. That’s what I told the team today.”

Despite the ACC Championship being a long shot, Georgia Tech can do a lot for moxie and continue to build its program. With a win, the Yellow Jackets will clinch their fifth ten-win regular season in program history and first win over Georgia since 2016. It’s a lot on the line for Georgia Tech on Friday afternoon.

•Georgia Tech Releases Depth Chart Ahead of Matchup With No. 4 Georgia

•Three Storylines To Watch On Friday As Georgia Tech Takes On Georgia

•Everything From Brent Key Ahead of Friday’s Game vs Georgia

Advertisement

•Georgia Tech Defensive Back Jy Gilmore Is Out For The Rest Of The Season