March’s lion-like attitude with the wind is returning for the weekend as stormy weather is on the way, and could get serious based on forecast models from NWS Peachtree City.

As of writing, the Northwest Georgia area joins a wide number of counties across the state that are under the threat of “enhanced” levels of threat from severe weather moving into the area starting on Saturday evening.

This is a level 3 threat out of 5 put out by NWS Peachtree City on Thursday afternoon. The area stretches from Alabama eastward from the Athens area all the way down to the Florida line along a line that straddles Macon, Warner Robins and I-75 South toward Albany. Every county from Northeast to Southwest Georgia in the enhanced risk zone could experience some form of severe weather during the event, but the moderate risk remains westward in Alabama and Mississippi.

These include winds above 60 mph, tornadic activity, isolated hail that could be greater than two inches in size and an elevated flood risk due to heavy rainfall.

Additionally, forecasters are putting the immediate local areas around the Alabama/Georgia line including portions of Floyd, Polk and Haralson counties among those at risk for very strong winds during the night hours on Saturday and into early Sunday morning.

Look for the area to start feeling the impacts beginning in the early evening hours on Saturday through 3 a.m. on Sunday as the front pushes past.

Meanwhile, today’s forecast is helping setup all this impact ahead as a front moving in from the west should hit seasonally warmer temperatures that’ll stick around. Highs today are up to 78, and winds are expected to remain somewhat lighter with gusts up to 20 mph possible.

Possibility for rain begins overnight as chances for rain and thunderstorms begin during the early morning hours on Saturday, with lows only down to 59. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph overnight, and rain chances are up to 40%.

The real threats are through the day Saturday as thunderstorms are expected to begin the day, with temps up to 79 on the day the atmosphere should be just warm enough to combine with the forthcoming front to create severe weather.

Look for that to move through overnight with temps down to 55 (as of time of writing on Thursday night) and rain chances up to 100%. Those storms are set to continue moving through until Sunday morning and should clear out leaving mostly sunny skies to cap off the weekend, and a high of 70.

By Sunday night, temps will dip down to 38 on the thermometer, and will remain on the cooler side through the opening of the coming week.

Good news? We’ll get another round of weather into the mid 70s before another front brings one more round of cooler temps for the area.