x
Breaking News
More () »

BLOG | Winter storm covers northeast Georgia in snow, ice

Parts of Georgia have snow!

Winter storm watches and warnings have been issued for several Georgia counties thanks to a system that brought snow and ice to parts of the state. Real-time storm updates will be provided.

MONDAY, DEC. 10, 2018

7:00 AM: Georgia Power is reporting 98 outages statewide that are affecting 2,320 customers. 

Georgia EMC is reporting 3,592 customers affected by outages in the north and northeast regions.

6:00 AM: Several more school districts announce a two hour delay.

5:30 AM: Dade, Walker and Towns Counties are all delaying school for two hours. For a full list of closures and delays, click here.

5:00 AM: Georgia Power reports 92 active outages state-wide affecting 2,205 customers. 

Georgia EMC reports 3,583 customers affected by outages in the north and northeast regions. 

4:00 AM: A special edition of Wake Up With Chesley starts with live shots from Rabun County where the snow is fluffy.

SUNDAY, DEC. 9, 2018

9:02 PM: Chief meteorologist Chris Holcomb is watching another round of precipitation moving through. Most of it is rain. Here's the latest update in his Facebook live.

8:27 PM: Pickens County schools will be closed Monday, Dec. 10 due to possible dangerous road conditions, power outages and downed trees. 

PICKENS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS RELEASE - 12/9/2018 www.pickenscountyschools.org Due to the possibility of dangerous road conditions in the morning, the number of homes without power,...

7:32 PM: Gilmer County Schools will be on a 2-hour delay Monday, Dec. 10 "to allow buses, students and staff to travel in daylight conditions. 

Here are the latest closings

6:24 PM: Georgia Power is reporting about 2,000 customers without power in parts of northeast Georgia. 

Check their power outage map for details. 

5:40 PM: Rabun County schools are closed for students, however, 12-month employees are asked to report at 10 a.m. if safe to do so.

Check 11Alive.com/closings for the latest information.

5:53 PM: White County schools will also be CLOSED Monday, Dec. 10 for students and staff, according to the district's website

Click here for a full list of closings.

5:15 PM: Habersham County schools will be CLOSED for students and staff on Monday, Dec. 10. Officials cited the extended Winter Storm Warning, power outages at homes and one school, trees and power lines down on secondary roads and the likely-hood of re-freezing overnight.

11Alive will continue to track more closings. You can find updates here: 11alive.com/closings.

4:05 PM: Here's the view of Sky Valley covered in a half-foot of snow, from meteorologist Wes Peery.

4:00 PM: 

11Alive Chief Meteorologist Chris Holcomb has an update on the winter weather alerts in effect for northeast Georgia.

Click here for the latest on the winter weather outlook.

3:20 PM: The City of Atlanta is opening up its warming center at the Old Adamsville Recreation Center starting at 6 p.m. Sunday for those who need a place to escape the cold temperatures overnight. 

Click here for details on the location and transportation to the center.

3:04 PM: The winter storm warning for Rabun and Habersham Counties is in effect until 2 p.m. Monday. Although the widespread, heavy precipitation has largely ended across the area, additional wintry precipitation will likely redevelop from the northwest overnight. Many locations will see additional snow showers and occasional sleet, while other locations could see brief freezing rain or pockets of freezing temperatures that keep roads treacherous. Conditions will slowly dry out from the west on Monday afternoon. The winter storm warning for Rabun and Habersham Counties is in effect until 2 p.m.

3:00 PM: 11Alive StormTracker meteorologist Wes Peery spotted snow plows clearing and treating the roads in Clayton, Georgia along the route to Black Rock Mountain State Park.

2:56 PM: Emergency Management tells 11Alive trees are down in northwest Dawson County in the areas of Upper and Lower Sassafras Mountain, Burnt Mountain Estates and Monument Road.

2:45 PM: The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers: Broad River near Carlton affecting Elbert., Madison and Oglethorpe Counties; Conasauga River near Eton affecting Murray and Whitfield Counties. The warning expires at 1:36 p.m. Monday. 

2:38 PM: Danny Thompson in Dawson County submitted several images of trees down along Monument Road from all the ice. 

Credit: Danny Thompson

Click here for more images of wintry weather in North Georgia.

1:55 PM: The NWS has extended the time for the winter storm warning for Dawson, Lumpkin, Towns, Union, and White counties. Temperatures will hover near freezing for some locations. This could cause refreezing on the roads, and with additional light snow, roads could get hazardous, especially in the higher elevations and on bridges and overpasses. It now expires at noon.

1:55 PM: The time for the winter weather advisory effect for Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens counties has extended until noon Monday. It also now includes Banks and Hall counties.

1:39 PM: The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for the South River near Snapping Shoals affecting Butts,.Henry and Newton Counties. The warning is for Sunday afternoon until further notice. 

1:01 PM: The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning the Oconee River near Penfield affecting Clarke, Greene and Oconee Counties. It expires Dec. 12 at 7 a.m.

12:58 PM: The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for the Etowah River near East Canton affecting Cherokee County.Recent heavy rainfall has caused significant runoff into streams and rivers which will cause flooding in some areas. The warning is from Sunday afternoon until further notice.

12:51 PM: The National Weather Service issued a Flood Warning for the Middle Oconee River near Arcade affecting Barrow and Jackson Counties. The warning is from Sunday afternoon until Monday evening.

12:45 PM: Residents report major flooding near Cave Spring, Georgia

12:19 PM: The Flood Warning continues for the following area: Suwanee Creek near Suwanee affecting Gwinnett County. The river will continue rising to near 10.5 feet by this evening. The river will fall below flood stage Monday morning. It expires Monday at 1:42 p.m.

12 PM : Warning for the following rivers in Georgia, Conasauga River near Eton affecting Murray and Whitfield Counties.Recent heavy rainfall has caused significant runoff into streams and rivers which will cause flooding in some areas.The warning expires at 4:45 p.m. Monday.  

10:39 AM: More flood warnings have been issued for Catoosa, Cobb, Fulton counties until further notice. Recent heavy rainfall has caused significant runoff into streams and rivers which will cause flooding in some areas. The Chattahoochee River near Vinings Cobb Parkway could affect Cobb and Fulton Counties. The South Chickamauga Creek near Ringgold could affect Catoosa County

10:15 AM: Georgia residents are sending in pictures of the snow!


10:05 AM: The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Georgia...  Alcovy River near Lawrenceville affecting Gwinnett and Walton Counties   

7:20 AM: 11Alive is receiving reports of snow in Monroe, at the Dallas Paulding County Airport in Dallas, and in Lawrenceville. 

7:09 AM: 11Alive is receiving reports of snow in Habersham and Stephens counties. 

6:32 AM: A flood warning has been issued for Forsyth. Big Creek near Cumming is affecting the county. The creek will continue rising, reaching near 7.3 feet later this morning. The creek is expected to fall below flood stage this afternoon.

5:49 AM: Flood warnings have been issued for Gwinnett, Walton, counties that will expire at 3:16 p.m.

5:33 AM: A flood warning has been issued for Whitfield counties until further notice 

5:20 AM: A flood warning has been issued for Chatooga County that will expire at 6:24 a.m.

4:32 AM: Habersham, Rabun, and Stephens counties are still under a winter storm warning. Cold high pressure along the East Coast is interacting with a moist low pressure system moving from the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast coast from now into early Monday. Moderate to heavy precipitation will continue to fall as a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the region, especially through this morning. The winter storm warning remains in effect until noon on Monday. 

2:12 AM: Pickens County Sheriff's Office reports several downed trees and power lines throughout the eastern portion of the county. They're also hearing reports of ice forming in high elevations and are asking people to stay off the roads if possible.

1:52 AM: Tree down and outage reported in the area of Breedlove Drive and McDaniel Street in the city of Monroe, Georgia according to police.

1:24 AM: Windy conditions in Dunwoody have led to a downed tree inside the metro area. Police there report it fell in the area of Peachford Road and Chowning Way blocking traffic.

SATURDAY, DEC. 8, 2018

10:43 PM: GDOT announces they will be sending 30 workers to areas of Habersham, Lumpkin, Rabun, Towns, Union and White counties to help with maintenance. Fifteen counties will be included in a brining operation from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

9:37 PM: 11Alive's Elwyn Lopez and Charles Holmes were in Rabun County as the sun set on Saturday. This is what they saw in the part of Georgia expected to see the heaviest snow and ice from this winter storm.

8:08 PM: Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is reporting 168 delays and 10 flight cancellations on Saturday evening as cold, stormy weather rolls in near the world's busiest airport.

6:18 PM: We're seeing the first pictures of snow out of north Georgia - most of them in Rabun County - Georgia's most northeastern point.

4:37 PM: Our crews are in Rabun County and seeing some snow. Here's what it looks like right now.

3:53 PM: Winter storm warnings have been issued for Habersham, Rabun, Stephens counties. The National Weather Service reports moderate to heavy precipitation in the area and possible snow levels of 2 inches in the lower elevations with 12 inches of snow or more possible on the ridges near the tri-state border. Ice hazards are also possible under these conditions. A winter weather advisory has also been issued for Elbert, Franklin and Hart counties on Georgia's far east side.

1:20 PM: The City of Atlanta issues the following statement about weather preps:

The City of Atlanta announced today that based on the most recent weather forecast, the Department of Public Works (DPW) is prepared to activate to a Level 3 response in preparation for the Winter Storm Watch and Warning in effect for Georgia. A Level 3 response occurs when temperatures fall between 32-25 degrees and light precipitation (less than one inch) is expected. A large winter weather system continues to spread rain across Georgia and the threat of a wintry mix increases later today. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for parts of northeast Georgia. The potential for spotty freezing rain extends into northeast metro Atlanta late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Impacts are expected primarily on bridges and overpasses. 

 DPW continues to monitor weather conditions and based on the forecast, crews are prepared to deploy overnight Saturday into early Sunday morning to pretreat Priority 1&2 bridges, overpasses and routes, including hospitals, police and fire stations. The treatment of bridges and overpasses is a priority because bridges typically freeze faster than roads due to higher elevations. A complete list of Priority 1&2 bridges is available at www.bit.ly/ATLPublicWorks. 

Public Works is equipped with 14 spreaders, six brine units, 3,150 tons of salt and 23,500 tons of brine. When the City is significantly affected by weather conditions, Public Works’ operations will work continuously to ensure roadways are clear and passable.  

12:30 PM: Forsyth County deputies and partner agencies are monitoring the weather and road conditions. They plan on providing real-time updates if conditions deteriorate. 

11:45 AM: The National Weather Service of Atlanta release details about the wind advisory set for 6 p.m. Saturday. Wind gusts could get up to 30-40 miles per hour. Some of the highest winds could be near Gainesville and Athens. 

8:30 AM: A wind advisory will go into effect at 6 p.m. Saturday. A flood watch is also in place for most of north and central Georgia. 

8 AM: The City of Lilburn Christmas Parade scheduled for Saturday has been canceled. Families can stop by City Hall from noon to 2 p.m. to visit Santa.

FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 2018

8PM: The Winter Storm Watch has been expanded to include several metro Atlanta counties. 

These counties are now under a winter storm watch until 1 a.m. on Monday: Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Towns, Union, Walton and White. 

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until noon Monday in Habersham and Rabun counties.

7:55PM: 11Alive StormTracker Samantha Mohr has a video update:

7PM -- The city of Atlanta issued a statement about its preparations for the storm, saying:

The City of Atlanta Department of Public Works (DPW) crews are preparing for the projected arrival of wintry precipitation and freezing temperatures in metro Atlanta. City departments will maintain a posture of readiness and continue to monitor forecasts to determine appropriate response. In addition, a Flood Watch has been issued for north and central Georgia effective Saturday evening through Sunday evening with up to three inches of rain expected for most of the area.

The City of Atlanta Department of Public Works personnel are prepared to deploy a Level 3 response, which includes pre-treating Priority 1 and 2 bridges, overpasses and routes, including hospitals, police and fire stations. Public Works is equipped with 14 spreaders, six brine units, 3,150 tons of salt and 23,500 tons of brine, with a goal of ensuring optimal preparedness for inclement weather response.

When the City is significantly affected by weather conditions, DPW operations will work continuously to ensure roadways are clear and passable.

To report an issue, dial 404-546-0311 for all non-emergencies within the city limits. 

4:30PM -- Haberham and Rabun counties are under a Winter Storm Warning until noon Monday.

A Winter Storm Watch has been issued until  1 a.m. Monday in Lumpkin, Towns, Union and White counties.

Credit: WXIA
Credit: WXIA

According to the National Weather Service, a Winter Storm Watch is issued when there is the potential for significant and hazardous winter weather within 48 hours. It does not mean that significant and hazardous winter weather will occur -- it only means it is possible. A Winter Storm Warning is issued when a significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent.

►TIMELINE: When to expect wintry weather in Georgia

UPLOAD | Send us your weather pictures here

MORE | Winter weather vehicle emergency supply list

POWER OUTAGES CHECK | Georgia Power customers, check here. Georgia EMC customers check here.

Download the FREE app now in the iTunes store or on Google Play.

.

Before You Leave, Check This Out