ATLANTA (AP) — Forecasters warn that an arctic air mass combined with moisture approaching Georgia could set the stage for freezing rain and sleet for much of the state.

The National Weather Service projects that rain and sleet could develop late Thursday night into Friday morning. Forecasters say travel could become more difficult in areas north of a line from LaGrange to Macon to Dublin.

Forecasters say there's also the potential for a quarter of an inch of ice to accumulate in a band that stretches from the northwest corner of Georgia across metro Atlanta and parts of east Georgia.

Officials say the timing of the cold air and moisture could change the forecast for Friday, but temperatures will be well below normal regardless of whether the freezing precipitation materializes.