Snow Storm causes power outages for thousands across Georgia, roads turn icy
Northeast Georgia experienced heavy snowfall overnight as a potent winter storm blew through the state.
Some areas accumulated 2 inches of snow by Sunday morning with 5 inches of snow possible throughout the day.
Crews in metro Atlanta pre-treated highways and snowplows were deployed in areas with measurable snow.
WINTER STORM ALERT DAY: TRACKING WINTRY PRECIPITATION IN METRO ATLANTA
Here's the latest on road conditions in Georgia:
What are road conditions like in metro Atlanta?
On Sunday afternoon, roads in North Georgia, including the northern metro area, were icy. In Atlanta and south metro, roads were mostly wet at around 1:40 p.m. as snow steadily fell.
The deterioration of roads began overnight and early Monday morning.
As temperatures fell Sunday evening, Gov. Kemp urged everyone to avoid non-essential travel through Monday morning.
A tree fell and pulled down utility lines on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard in DeKalb County on Sunday morning.
Atlanta police went to the scene at around 6:50 a.m. Georgia Power told FOX 5 Atlanta it was aware of the outage and working to resolve it.
Wind gusts in the Atlanta area were higher than 40 miles per hour early Sunday morning.
Snow was falling near Spaghetti Junction at around 10 a.m.
Police in Sandy Springs reported trees down in multiple roadways:
- Spalding Drive and Habersham Waters Road
- Northridge Road and Colquitt Road
- Spalding Mills and Ball Mill
- 300 block of Dalyrmple Road
Cobb County reported the wind and downed trees making travel hazardous on Sunday morning. The county reported scattered power outages, trees down, and some traffic signals out.
On Sunday morning the Dunwoody Police Department reported a tree was down on Chamblee Dunwoody Road at Nerine Circle.
Woodstock police reported some road closures due to traffic crashes.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office reported trees down in multiple roads
- Dogwood Circle/Chattahoochee Road
- Pilgrim Mill Road/Antioch
- Southers Circle/Riverside Drive
- Dr. Bramblett/Matt Highway
- Pilgrim Mill Road and Holtzclaw Road
- McGinnis Ferry Road/Old Alpharetta
- Jot Em Down Road and Claude Martin Road
- Jot Em Down Road in front of East Forsyth High School
In Hall County, a home was damaged after a large tree fell during the winter storm around 11:00 a.m. Sunday.
Power outages in Georgia
As of 10 a.m. Sunday, Georgia Power reported approximately 61,000 customers statewide were without power.
As of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Georgia Power reported approximately 24,000 customers statewide were without power according to the utility company's outage map.
Jackson EMC said it had restored power outages to most of its customers as of Sunday evening.
As of 8 p.m., there were 81 customers without power:
- Hall County, 20
- Banks County, 5
- Gwinnett County, 6
- Barrow County, 2
- Jackson County, 14
- Lumpkin County, 34
Georgia EMC previously reported approximately 30,000 customers without power at 6:55 a.m. Sunday from high winds plus snow and sleet in northeast Georgia.
In Pickens County, deputies responded to multiple reports of power lines down and trees in the roadway as well as some spots of ice throughout the night. Officials said the east side of Pickens County saw the greatest impact from storms.
In Hall County, Gainesville police reported about 2,000 customers are without power this morning.
Officials reported approximately 6,324 customers without power in Habersham County on Sunday morning.
GDOT prepares roads
The Georgia Department of Transportation said it spread about 1.5 million gallons of brine over about 20,000 miles in areas that could see the greatest impact, particularly in northeast Georgia. There's a focus on the Interstate 85 corridor in northeast Georgia.
GDOT said emergency crews monitor the wind conditions for impacts to trees and power lines. Officials said roads should be clear for first responders and essential work crews.
Officials are urging people not to travel unless it's essential.
"Please stay off the road," GDOT's Natalie Dale said.
Snow in Northeast Georgia
There were already several inches of snow in Clayton on Sunday morning.
Residents told FOX 5 Atlanta the roads were slick and dangerous.
Wind added an extra bite to the storm.
There were power outages and trees down in some areas of Northeast Georgia.
In Pickens County, officials urged everyone should avoid the roadways if possible.
Snowfall north of metro Atlanta
There was measurable snow in Gainesville on Sunday morning.
Hall County EMA said snowfall began at around 2 a.m. with the heavier snowfall coming in around 3 a.m. Gainesville saw about two inches.
Snowplows drove through downtown with their plows up during a break in the snowfall.
There's slush piled up on the roads.