Tuesday's 88-degree high temperature broke a record set in 1967, but don't break out the sunscreen just yet.
It's going to get good and cold again by Thursday.
"We got good warm-up and a tantalizing look toward the summer," said Frank Ferrell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn. But "winter doesn't seem to be over yet."
A Georgia-based meteorologist confirmed his fellow forecaster's statement, saying the final spring freeze period isn't over yet in North Georgia.
"Can we get cold spells where we get below 32? Sure," said Brian Lynn, a forecaster based at the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Ga. "Springtime's a transition period. You can get pretty wild swings in temperature."
In Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, meteorologists are predicting a hot and sunny Wednesday before thunderstorms move in Thursday carrying a cold front, which will keep weekend nights chilled toward the 40s.
"We don't ever have consistency in the weather here," said Mr. Ferrell. "Just wait five minutes and the weather will change."
One Georgia resident can't help but notice the weather changes, but she's learned to adjust.
"I like it in-between, but what can I do about it?" said Katy Ross, a retiree living in Rossville, Ga.
Others remember recent cold spells and are sad to see an early glimpse of summer in retreat.
FORECASTWednesdayHigh: 82Low: 57Skies should be partly cloudy with a slight temperature decrease from Tuesday's record-setting high.ThursdayHigh: 65Low: 60A cold front disrupts a glimpse at summer and thunderstorms should move in Thursday night.
"This winter I swore I'd never complain about being hot again," said Kevin Harner, a Chattanooga resident who owns 1H Construction. "So I think I'll take the heat.
The wild swings sometimes aren't just limited to the weather. For several hours Tuesday, the National Weather Service called for snow to hit the Tennessee Valley Thursday afternoon. Mr. Ferrell blamed the temporary warning on confusing graphics.
"When graphics show up as hail, sometimes it's considered the same," he said. "There's liquid, freezing and frozen. Snow being basically frozen and hail being frozen will show up as the same graphic indicator."
Mr. Ferrell said the Smoky Mountains and Cumberland Plateau also impede easy weather predictions in the Tennessee Valley. He said storms coming from the Gulf of Mexico complicate all the predicting that happens in front of the radar maps.
"All that affects the weather significantly," he said. "We've got so many different factors involved."
Checking out the week's forecast, Mr. Lynn was quick to agree.
"Weather can be open-ended," he said. "Summer came the last couple of days, but we could see some spring freezes occur."
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