Stormy weather in Southwest Georgia should clear for Christmas

ALBANY — The weather may well be frightening Tuesday and into the early part of Christmas Eve, but not in the way suggested by the popular Christmas carol.

A weather system with extra punch was entering the Albany area Monday afternoon and was expected to stick around until sometime around noon on Christmas Eve. With it, forecasters say, could come as much as 6 inches of rain and some thunderstorms, along with the possibility of tornadoes.

“It looks like we’re going to get heavy rain Tuesday and possibly thunderstorms with isolated tornadoes,” Jane Hollingsworth, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee, said Monday. “That will continue Tuesday night and until Wednesday afternoon when the cold front moves through.

“It’s a very strong system for this time of year and we have several factors in play that could lead to some isolated tornadoes along with heavy rains, so we’re looking very closely at that potential.”

The inclement weather comes in a year where cheap gas prices may have helped generate a record travel season, according to the AAA Auto Club Group. Nationally, year-end holiday travel for the period encompassing Christmas and New Year’s is expected to hit a record 98.6 million travelers, a 4 percent increase from the 94.8 million Americans who traveled at least 50 miles from home during the 2013 year-end period.

In Georgia, AAA is projecting a 4.6 percent increase from 2013 year-end travel, with 2.7 million people hitting the roadways, airports, bus station and cruise ships. the vast majority, as it is nationally, will be traveling by auto. For Georgia, that’s 2.6 million, a 4.8 percent jump from last year. Air travel in Georgia is expected to reach 252,242, a much more modest increase of 1.3 percent over last year’s 250,229.

“Continued growth in consumer confidence and disposable income, an extended holiday period, and low gas prices should drive expected travel volumes to the highest level we have ever seen during the year-end holidays,” Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman, said last week the travel organization released its predictions. “Lower gas prices are filling stockings with a little more cash to spend on travel this year as travelers are expected to pay the lowest prices since 2008.”

In Albany over the weekend, gas prices for self-service regular fell below $2 a gallon at some stations, with further discounts at several of those stations for those using loyalty cards or paying with cash. On Monday, the average price for gas in metro Albany was $2.112, 5.9 cents cheaper than the next lowest Georgia metro area, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. That’s more than $1.06 per gallon cheaper than the same date in 2013.

Statewide Monday, Georgia motorists were paying an average of $2.366, down 81 cents a gallon from a year ago, and nationally drivers were at $2.394, down 85 cents from last year.

“Lower prices are increasing disposable income and enabling families to set aside money for travel this year,” Jenkins said.

But some of that travel may be disrupted by the storm system.

“Definitely the day before Christmas is going to cause some travel problems,” Hollingsworth said.

One thing that is almost certain is heavy rain.

“Right now,” Hollingsworth said, “we’re thinking anywhere from 4 to 5 inches total between tonight (Monday night) and Wednesday afternoon and we could see some even higher than that. Six inches isn’t out of the question.”

And strong winds will accompany the system both as it approaches the area and as it leaves, she said. There’s also the potential for flooding in areas that get especially heavy downpours. A flash-flood advisory has been posted by the Weather Service through Christmas Eve.

“It depends on where the real heavy rain falls,” Hollingsworth said. “If it falls over an urban area like Albany or Tallahassee, we may see some flash flooding.”

Once the system passes through, it should be clear sailing — or flying — for St. Nick. And he might not even need his heavy fur jacket. Christmas Eve temperatures should bottom out around 42 degrees and Christmas Day should be sunny and around 57 degrees. The overnight low Christmas night and early Friday should drop to 34-35 degrees before temperatures moderate this weekend.

“We might flirt with some freezing temperatures there the day after Christmas in the morning, but we’ll be rebounding after that,” Hollingsworth said. “It’ll be pretty breezy after the front moves through and then temperatures (will be) probably reaching the mid-60s, so not terribly cold behind this.”