A 30 percent chance of light snow remains in the forecast for Tuesday night in Hall County, according to the National Weather Service, with the possibility now of up to an inch of snow. 

Weather service forecaster Sid King said Tuesday afternoon snow should begin between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and that no freezing rain is expected, adding that the snow should last for a few hours. Even though it will be light snow, King said the “rapidly” falling temperatures will mean any snow that falls should accumulate. He said some localized areas could receive more than an inch of snow.

Wind could make it feel as cold as 5 degrees during the coldest portion of the winter blast, King added.

The fronts bringing in the wintry precipitation will cause temperatures to drop quickly from 43 at 4 p.m. to 23 degrees by 10 p.m. Rain and snow are possible before 8 p.m., with a switchover to snow after 8 p.m., according to the forecast. Lows are expected to be 19 degrees by Wednesday morning.

King said the fronts will cause sustained winds of 10-20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. He encouraged anyone who must be outside when it is a wind chill factor of 5 to “wear plenty of layers” and also wear a hat and gloves.

“Any snow will end by sunrise Wednesday morning,” King said.

And the snow could stay on the ground until Thursday, King has said, because Wednesday’s high temperature is projected to be in the low 30s.

Georgia Department of Transportation crews, meanwhile, started earlier Tuesday spreading 70,000 gallons of brine, a saltwater solution, on major Northeast Georgia arteries, including interstates 985 and 85.

"We expect to experience the leading edge of the wintry mix/snow in our far northwestern counties as the system then moves southeasterly through our district," District Maintenance Engineer Rob Mabry said. "Our forces started pretreating bridges and overpasses ahead of it on a 12-hour shift schedule."

Late Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal issued a state of emergency due to winter weather for 83 counties, spanning much of central and north Georgia. This line extends from Columbus to Macon to Augusta and northward. 

Deal also said state government would be closed Wednesday in the impacted areas for non-essential personnel.