GA Winter Storm: Ice Remains A Threat; Power Outages Persist

ATLANTA, GA — Power outages surged across parts of Georgia on Friday night as freezing rain moved through the region, creating dangerous travel conditions and slick roads that could persist through the weekend.

After freezing rain pushed up electricity outages above 110,000 in Georgia on Friday night, many of those outages were being restored Saturday. As of 11:30 a.m., 45,000 outages remained with a majority reported in Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties, according to poweroutage.us.

The National Weather Service on Saturday reported between 0.1 inches and 0.25 inches of ice accumulation around Atlanta from the freezing rain. That wasn't as bad as forecast, especially in areas south of the city, where temperatures were high enough to prevent icing. High winds on Saturday could still pose risks where ice did stick.

“If there are any frozen branches and limbs, it’s possible that some of those can be brought down by the gusty winds during the day today,” said Scott Carroll, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Atlanta.

Snow moved into Atlanta early Friday morning, the most widespread snow the metro has recorded since 2018, according to the NWS. Approximately 2.1 inches of snow fell in the city, the first measurable snowfall in 1,079 days.

Patches of snow and ice on roads will continue to make driving hazardous in some areas on Saturday, forecasters said, particularly across North Georgia and along less-traveled secondary roadways.

Georgia transportation officials urged people to stay off the roads until midday. Temperatures are also expected to plunge after sundown, raising the risk that melting snow will refreeze.

“I definitely don’t think everything’s going to completely melt," Carroll said. "Especially the secondary roads will probably still have some slush on them. And then the big concern after that is that we’re expecting really cold temperatures tonight with the clouds continuing to clear out.”

Flights at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were operating Saturday following a ground stop that snarled air traffic and stranded travelers for hours. Still, more than 300 flights in and out of Atlanta had been canceled by 11:30 a.m., according to tracking software FlightAware.

Other cancellations include Saturday afternoon's pro basketball game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets.

MARTA bus service was also suspended Saturday morning due to road conditions. Officials said essential bus routes may resume service once road conditions are assessed for safety.

Mostly sunny skies will linger through the rest of the weekend and temperatures will remain cold. Overnight lows are expected to be in the mid to high 20s while highs are predicted to be in the 40s until at least Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.