Kemp issues state of emergency as Georgia preps for snow, bitter cold

Here we go again.

For the second weekend in a row, Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for all Georgia counties ahead of a winter storm. This time, the forecast calls for snow and some of the coldest air in years to arrive as early as Friday night.

Several winter weather alerts have been issued across the state, including an expanded winter storm warning covering Atlanta and much of the metro area. The predicted snow comes just days after thawing out from last weekend’s ice storm.

Peak snowfall is expected between 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday as punishing cold from the Arctic arrives and clashes with rain showers trailing north from the Gulf Coast.

Areas in the warning zone may see 2-6 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. State leaders are once again asking residents to stay off roads. Airlines are bracing for potential disruptions, and some metro Atlanta weekend events are canceled.

“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 in a statement Friday.

His emergency order makes it easier to move and stage resources and critical supplies — including water, blankets and ready-to-eat meals — to the places expecting storm impacts. The order expires Feb. 6.

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency activated its state operations center at noon Friday, the governor’s office said.

The winter storm warning, upgraded from a watch, includes Fulton and most core metro counties, as well as all of northeast Georgia. For most areas, the warning will be in effect for 24 hours starting at 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the Weather Service. Farther north, it begins at 7 p.m. Friday.

The rest of northwest Georgia, and even parts of Middle Georgia from Macon to Vidalia, will be under a winter weather advisory. It goes into effect at 7 p.m. Friday in the far-northwest counties. Farther south, the advisory starts at 1 a.m. Saturday. Those advisories expire at 7 p.m. Saturday after a potential snow accumulation of about an inch, the NWS predicts.

Light snowfall is expected to start as early as Friday night across far North Georgia, forecasters say. It expands across the state overnight.

“Before sunrise, most of us from Atlanta eastward will be covered in snow, and some of that snow will be moderate to occasionally heavy,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

Heavy winds will blow in behind the snow, the NWS warns, making already subfreezing temperatures feel as low as minus 10 in the mountains to barely above 0 degrees, even in Middle Georgia.

An extreme cold warning, upgraded from a watch, covers the entire state and goes into effect Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon. Conditions that cold will cause frostbite and hypothermia if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures, the Weather Service said.

“The last time we were this cold was all the way back on Christmas Eve of 2022,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Ashley Kramlich said. “You remember the impacts from that? That’s when we had all those pipes bursting, because we had that extended period of temperatures below freezing.”

Areas north of the city could see 60 hours of below-freezing temps, Kramlich said. Farther south, it could be as much as 48 hours before temps climb above 32 degrees.

“Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous,” the NWS cautions. “Plan on slippery road conditions.”

Record-threatening cold will stretch as far south as the southern tip of Florida, where temps as low as the 20s are expected. The Tampa area could even see some snow flurries, according to the Weather Service. But most of the snow threat is centered over the Carolinas and Virginia, where projected totals range from 5 inches to a foot, with the higher amount over North Carolina, the NWS said.

Weather-related closures are already underway in the Peach State. The Georgia Aquarium, for example, will be closed Saturday with a delayed opening Sunday. Emory University will also close at 7 p.m. Friday and remain shuttered through the weekend. That includes its Oxford College just north of Covington.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said about 85% of metro Atlanta interstates and state roads have already been pretreated as of Friday afternoon.

Brining in the metro area started Thursday night and in other parts of the state on Friday morning. Nearly 2 million gallons of brine are available to treat 20,000 lane miles, an effort that will continue until snow begins to accumulate and can be plowed.

Last weekend, GDOT pretreated 18,000 lane miles.

The agency said it “recognizes that many Georgians are already fatigued by back-to-back winter storms and repeated requests to stay off the roads.” But officials asked for patience and they encouraged the public to again “stay home and enjoy the snow.”

Unlike the earlier storm, not all interstate lanes will be treated due to the affected area being so much larger, GDOT said. Only outside lanes and interstate ramps will be pretreated, including the I-285 loop, I-75 from the Tennessee state line to Macon, I-85 from metro Atlanta to the South Carolina border and I-20.

“This strategy allows crews to treat the greatest number of roadways and prepare routes for plowing,” the agency said.

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.

Last weekend’s ice storm caused widespread power outages and very treacherous icy roads, but this time it is “not freezing rain,” Monahan said. He expects dry, fluffy snow. That’s the type that blows around and can cause low visibility on the roads.

“This is the kind of snow you want to play in, but it may not be very long because it’s going to be so cold,” he said.

If venturing outside, use extreme caution and stay in your neighborhood, as GEMA warns that even light snowfall may “instantly stick to roadways and lead to hazardous travel conditions.”

Some airlines are allowing customers more flexibility to change their flights without paying extra. Travelers with flights booked this weekend should check their flight status before heading to the airport.

In parts of Tennessee and Mississippi, more than 230,000 customers were still without power Friday, The Associated Press reported. And this weekend’s storm could exacerbate the already dire situation there, officials warn. Older residents and those with medical conditions who lack electricity, some of whom are trapped by roads made impassable by still-icy conditions and fallen trees, are particularly vulnerable, the AP reported.

In the Peach State, the northeast corner was the hardest hit last weekend, with up to a half-inch of ice recorded in White County, according to the Weather Service.

Power had been largely restored in northeast Georgia as of Thursday morning. After the storm, nearly 30,000 were without electricity Monday.

Farther south, from Forsyth to Gwinnett counties, maximum amounts of just under a half-inch of ice were reported, especially in areas near Lake Lanier.

And in metro Atlanta, a tenth of an inch to a third of an inch of ice accumulated. Those amounts were recorded across areas from DeKalb to central Fulton counties and west to Cobb and Paulding counties, the NWS said. The metro’s Southside got just a light glazing.

Temperatures have stayed abnormally low for the second half of January and will remain that way at least through the first half of next week. Daytime highs across the region have stayed in the 40s this week, while the normal high for this time of year is 54 degrees.

Each night since Sunday, temps have plummeted to below freezing. By Saturday, even high temperatures aren’t expected to make it out of the freezing range, a stark contrast to the balmy mid-60s and 70s that kicked off the year.

Below-average temperatures are projected at least through the start of February, according to the NWS’ long-range forecast.