VALDOSTA — Things could get hairy in South Georgia this week, with severe weather and a possibility tornadoes expected Monday. A repeat performance could follow on Wednesday, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service is warning of a “significant weather event” Monday as a cold front moves through the region, said Kelly Godsey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office.

“The risk is greatest west toward Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, but we can’t rule out severe weather around Valdosta,” he said.

The main hazard will be wind damage, Godsey said. Straight-line winds above 70 mph and tornadoes, “some potentially significant,” are possible, causing snapped trees, downed power lines and some structural damage, according to a special statement released by the Tallahassee office. Flooding is not expected to be a major problem, Godsey said, as only about an inch of rain is forecast for most areas.

The severe weather is expected to reach Lowndes County around 8 p.m., according to the weather service forecast. “Storms should continue through the night and into Tuesday morning,” Godsey said. The worst of the weather is expected to pass to Valdosta’s north, said Frank Strait, senior meteorologist for the private forecasting firm AccuWeather.

After a break in the weather Tuesday, more severe weather may follow Wednesday in the wake of another cold front moving trough the Southeast, Godsey said. While he said it’s too early to judge the possible effects, the weather service pegs the chance of thunderstorms Wednesday as 50 percent by day and 60 percent by night, according to the official forecast.

The Wednesday storm outlook may be worse for Valdosta than Monday’s, Strait said. The Monday cold front isn’t expected to move far south of Valdosta, so remnants rebounding north may cause storm problems during the day Wednesday, while the new cold front moves through Wednesday evening, he said.

“Any of these storms could be severe, and we can’t rule out tornadoes,” Strait said.

Temperature-wise, the second cold front will likely break a two-week heat wave over South Georgia, Godsey said. While high temperatures Sunday approached 90, a mass of arctic air behind Wednesday’s cold front should cut highs to the low 70s Thursday and Friday, with lows in the 40s, he said.

The cool air will kill any chances for continued severe weather for a while, Strait said.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.