Georgia Weather: More Ice Than Snow in Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA — The snow was spotty at best, significantly less than the four inches that had been forecast for parts of metro Atlanta.

But a winter storm late Friday did bring freezing temperatures, gusty winds and icy conditions that had officials urging residents to stay off the roads.

"We're out there on the roads and, if you don't have to travel, please avoid any unnecessary travel on our roads as we're trying to be out there clearing what did stick and what's remaining today," Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Katie Strickland said in a video statement Saturday morning.

More: Dangerous Cold Temps, Black Ice Threat Overnight and Sunday

Portions of the far northern reaches of metro Atlanta did see significant snowfall. But what most of metro Atlanta woke up to Saturday was temperatures in the low 20s that threatened to keep ice on the ground for days.

At 9:30 a.m., it was a frosty 22 degrees in Atlanta, with a wind chill making it feel like 6 degrees.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning that officially lasted until 1 p.m. Saturday. By Saturday morning, the warning's focus had moved from snow to black ice on the roads, dangerously cold winds and downed trees and limbs caused by heavy and sustained icing.

With winds gusting above 30 m.p.h., the weather service also issued a Wind Chill Advisory for Saturday.

Exposure to a combination of low temperatures and high winds "will result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken," the NWS said in the advisory. "If you must venture outdoors, make sure you wear a hat and gloves."

As of 9:30 a.m., more than 16,000 customers were without power on Saturday, according to the Georgia Power website.

According to the National Weather Service forecast, low temperatures Saturday night are expected to plunge all the way down to 16 degrees.

The high temperature on Sunday is expected to break the freezing point and hit 35 degrees, although wind chill could impact whether that's enough to start thawing out some frozen patches.

The low Sunday should dip back down to about 22 degrees.

By Monday, we'll see the high temperature hit 40 degrees with sunny skies.

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