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.

ATLANTA – Georgia Power wants to add more energy to the grid — but analysts with the state agency that regulates utility rates say that could mean higher monthly bills for customers.

What we know:

Right now, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is considering Georgia Power’s request to add 10 gigawatts of energy capacity. The company says the expansion is needed to keep up with rising demand, particularly from data centers that could move into the state.

What they’re saying:

Public advocates warn that all that extra power could come at a cost to customers who are already paying more than they used to.

Giselle Graciano, who moved from Kansas to metro Atlanta earlier this year, said her monthly utility bills have been much higher than expected.

“Average bill, so far, has been around $90 to $110,” Graciano said. “Compared to where I came from, yeah — that’s a lot of money.”

In recent testimony, public-interest advocacy staff with the PSC said Georgia Power’s proposal could raise monthly bills by about $20.

“Definitely, a bit of a strain in terms of budgeting, especially in current economic conditions,” Graciano said.

Georgia Power has already raised prices six times since 2022, though the PSC approved a rate freeze through 2028. Consumer advocates worry customer bills could rise again once that freeze ends.

“I think it’s a travesty,” said Kimberly Scott, Executive Director of the advocacy group Georgia WAND. “We could see an increase in our rates come 2028, 2029.”

Public-interest advocates are urging the PSC to approve only about one-third of what Georgia Power requested, arguing it’s unclear if the potential data center contracts will actually materialize.

“The approach seems to be, if you build it, they will come. But what if they don’t?” said Bob Sherrier, Staff Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

The other side:

In a statement, Georgia Power spokesperson Matthew Kent said the company disagrees with staff testimony calling its demand projections speculative.

“We continue to work with the Georgia PSC to ensure that we have the reliable energy Georgia needs as our state grows while maintaining affordability for all customers,” Kent said. “It is due to these large-load commitments that Georgia Power was able to freeze base rates for the next three years.”

What’s next:

The Public Service Commission will hold hearings on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 and is expected to vote on Dec. 19, just before newly elected commissioners are sworn in.

GeorgiaMoneyNews