Rare winter storm blankets Georgia, southeast in snow and ice

ATLANTA (CN) — After experiencing one of the hottest years on record last year, many Georgia residents awoke to the pleasant surprise of snowfall on Friday morning.

A snow day is a rare occurrence for the state, and it’s left many state offices, schools and other establishments closed, including throughout the metro Atlanta.

The last time the Atlanta area saw measurable snowfall was on Jan. 18, 2018. The snowfall drought for the city since then is the second-longest on record, according to the National Weather Service’s Atlanta station.

Accumulation at this point is more than forecasters predicted. Less than an inch was predicted in Atlanta, but 2.3 inches have fallen so far downtown. Up to 2 inches were expected in the surrounding metro area, but 3.5 inches have fallen in places like Peachtree City. That comes after the winter outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted Georgia and much of the Southern U.S. to feel warmer than normal from December to February.

Now, so-called Winter Storm Cora has swept through the Southeast, delivering a mess of snow and ice from Arkansas and Tennessee to the Carolinas and Virginia, including in Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville. The wintry mess is snarling travel — and in some cases, icing could be heavy enough to cause power outages and tree damage.

Dylan Doyle, 38, was surprised to wake up to his yard blanketed in snow. He moved south years ago to escape the freezing winters of Massachusetts.

“I love having a snow day here because everything shuts down, and you can actually enjoy it,” said Doyle, who lives in the metro Atlanta area.

“In Massachusetts, if you couldn’t afford to pay someone to plow the snow, you would spend half the day shoveling it out of your driveway,” he added.

Like many other Georgians, Doyle was unsure whether the predicted weather warnings would actually materialize or if they were more a reflection of inflated concerns over another “Snowpocalypse” disaster.

That notorious winter storm, which struck the state 10 years ago, left hundreds of drivers stranded on slick roads after most residents expected the weather predictions to be be an overblown threat. More than 1,000 traffic crashes were reported during that storm, which brought only 2.6 inches of snow.

As Georgia was unprepared for such conditions, hundreds of people were forced to abandon their cars on the interstate and seek shelter in businesses. A whopping 99 school buses from Fulton County were stuck in the traffic until midnight, while 2,000 students were forced to spend the night at school.

The mess became something of a national joke in northern cities accustomed to dealing with much more snow. It was even immortalized with a mocking skit on “Saturday Night Live.”

Ahead of this month’s severe weather, Republican Governor Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency, authorizing all state resources to “be made available to assist in preparation, response and recovery activities throughout affected areas.”

“I’m asking all Georgians to help them do their jobs by limiting travel as much as possible in the coming days,” Kemp said in a statement. “Hazardous conditions, including ice and snow, can develop quickly and make travel very dangerous. Plan ahead and stay tuned to updates from state and local officials to ensure you and your loved ones remain safe while our first responders continue to work tirelessly throughout this weather event.”

With the winter storm expected to make travel hazardous due to snow and freezing rain, airlines have canceled hundreds of flights scheduled for Friday.

At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Delta’s largest hub, more than 770 Friday flights were canceled as of about 10:20 a.m., according to FlightAware.com. Meanwhile, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has seen more than 200 flight cancellations.

Already, more than 75,000 power outages have been reported in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi due to the winter storm. Winter Storm Cora is expected to impact several Southeast states throughout Saturday morning, with winter weather alerts in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Little Rock, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, and Raleigh, according to The Weather Channel.

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