Snow has been steadily turning parts of Middle and North Georgia, including metro Atlanta, into a snow globe.
Just last weekend, Georgians were forced to hunker down at home because of wintry weather.
This time around, though, you may want to step outside and make a snow angel.
Nearly half an inch of snow fell before sunrise in Appalachian foothills communities in the northeastern part of the state, including Blairsville in Union County and Young Harris in neighboring Towns County.
By 8 a.m., nearly 3 inches of snow had fallen in parts of Union, according to fire Chief David Dyer.
Parts northeast of metro Atlanta — including Forsyth, Hall and Gwinnett counties — have since been blanketed with snow. Light snow and flurries have been falling since about 9 a.m. in Cobb, Cherokee, Fulton and DeKalb counties with less accumulation.
By around 11 a.m., the winter storm had moved into parts of Middle Georgia just east of Bibb County and continued south into Dodge and Laurens counties.
Credit: Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce
Credit: Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce
Several winter weather alerts are in effect across the state, including a winter storm warning covering Atlanta and much of the metro area.
The National Weather Service said peak snowfall is projected between 7 a.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday as a punishing cold from the Arctic arrives and clashes with rain showers trailing north from the Gulf Coast.
Within the Perimeter, between a half-inch to 2 inches of snow could accumulate, the Weather Service said. The further east you go, the more snow accumulation is predicted. Areas such as Athens could see up to 6 inches.
What’s the forecast?
The winter storm warning spans most of east Georgia as far north as Murray County, west toward Fulton County and south toward Laurens County.
In areas of far North Georgia, that warning began 7 p.m. Friday, while in the rest of the state it began at 1 a.m. Saturday. The warning is set to expire at 1 a.m. Sunday.
In parts of the metro area, including the city, the NWS anticipates “heavy snow.” Accumulations could reach up to 2 inches with higher amounts locally.
Overall, the areas within the winter storm warning could see up to 6 inches of snow, with the higher amounts mostly in east Georgia, such as Gainesville, Blairsville, Athens and Washington.
This is the type of snow that will get lifted by the wind, and gusts of up to 35 mph are expected. The Weather Service warns that poor visibility and slick roads could make driving a bad idea.
Temperatures across the state have also remained extremely cold.
In Atlanta, the high will reach only 27 degrees by midafternoon Saturday. That’s not much different from what far North Georgia and the eastern half of the state will experience. Parts of South Georgia, where snow is not expected, will barely make it above freezing.
The wind chill will make temperatures feel even more bitter. Temps could feel about 10 degrees colder during the day and will drop into the single digits in the evening and overnight.
The coldest wind chills began at 1 a.m. Saturday and will last until late Sunday, according to the Weather Service.
“Persons are urged to stay indoors until conditions improve. If you must go outside, dress in layers. Several layers of clothes will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat,” the NWS said. “Cover exposed skin to reduce your risk of frostbite or hypothermia. Gloves, a scarf, and a hat will keep you from losing your body heat.”
Parts of northwest and Middle Georgia not in the warning zone are under a winter weather advisory until 7 p.m. Saturday. It includes parts as far north as Whitfield County to Troup County toward Crawford County and Toombs County.
Some snow could appear in those areas, though it’s unpredictable where it will land, and accumulation could possibly reach up to 1 inch, the Weather Service said. Winds will also be strong.
The entire state is under an extreme cold warning from 7 p.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday due to wind chill that will plummet temperatures. In parts of South Georgia, that warning begins earlier at 1 p.m.
Impacts around the state
Nearly all Georgians had power early Saturday morning as the winter storm moved south.
At noon., Georgia Power’s interactive outage map showed less than a 1,000 of the company’s 2.8 million customers statewide were without electricity. A separate map maintained by Georgia EMC, which represents Georgia’s 41 electric membership cooperatives, showed it had more than 3,000 customers without power.
Georgia Power and the EMCs said they were prepared to restore power through the weekend, warning that icy conditions and wind gusts could spur outages. This bout of winter weather isn’t expected to cause the widespread power outages seen last weekend, which featured freezing rain.
More than 590 flights have been canceled Saturday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.com. Of the flights still on the docket, delays were minimal.
The cancellations as of noon included about a third of Delta Air Lines’ schedule for the day. Its regional Delta Connection partners were also being heavily affected, with Endeavor Air canceling 47% of its Atlanta flights and SkyWest canceling 66% of its flights, according to FlightAware.
More than a quarter of all inbound flights to Hartsfield-Jackson had been canceled, while a third of all outbound flights were canceled. Other airports in the Southeast — including those in Charlotte, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; and Raleigh, North Carolina — had similar flight impacts to Atlanta’s primary airport.
Neighboring states
Runways at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee, are closed until at least 4 p.m. because of snow, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The area began getting snow Friday evening and there is a 99% chance that the city will experience more than 2 inches of snow and a 70% chance it will see more than 4 inches, reported USA Today affiliate Knox News.
In western North Carolina, particularly across the mountains just past the North Georgia border, the Weather Service predicts up to 8 inches of snow.
In upstate South Carolina, just past the eastern Georgia border, the NWS said up to 8 inches of snow is possible. Fox Carolina reported that between 2 and 4 inches were more likely in western upstate, with 4 to 6 inches in mountain valleys and 8 inches along and east of I-26.
How Georgia prepared
Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of the wintry weather. The executive order is separate from the one issued last week when Georgia faced an ice storm threat.
GEMA activated their state operations center noon Friday. The state of emergency will last until Feb. 6.
“While Mother Nature may not be giving us a break with these back-to-back storms, the good news is we don’t take any days off when it comes to keeping Georgia communities prepared and safe,” Kemp said. “Along with our state partners, we have been monitoring this new winter storm well ahead of its arrival and preparing for whatever it may bring.”
Below-freezing ground temperatures will allow snow to instantly stick on roads. The Georgia Department of Transportation began treating roads Thursday and Friday, but motorists are advised to stay home as much as possible.
Nearly 2 million gallons of brine were available to treat 20,000 lane miles, an effort that will continue until snow begins to accumulate, at which point roads will be plowed.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
The GDOT said it has 570 snow removal units statewide, including 439 snowplows that also serve as brine spreaders and dump trucks. Motorists should keep their distance from such vehicles.
— Staff writers Zachary Hansen and Fletcher Page contributed to this report.
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