Rare Snow Blankets South as East Braces For Storm (Photos)

A powerful March snowstorm blanketed much of Alabama and then marched across Georgia on Sunday, forcing some flight cancellations in Atlanta as the East Coast braced for a potential pummeling.

Peachtree Ave., midtown Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, Mar. 1, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

The weather service said winter storm warnings are in effect from northern Georgia and the Carolinas through the Mid-Atlantic states into New England.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways canceled some Sunday flights and a Federal Aviation Administration Web site said flights to
Atlanta were experiencing average delays of nearly two hours.

AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said flights out of Atlanta into the Northeast may also be canceled Sunday night as the messy, developing storm took aim at walloping at wide swath of the East Coast up through Maine.

"I expect the Northeast will be hit pretty hard tonight so our expectations is that people flying into Washington, D.C., and Boston will need to call or check our Web site for possible cancellations," Hutcheson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Delta spokesman Brian Kruse said the airline is monitoring the weather and asking customers flying to, from or through Atlanta to call Delta or check its Web site for updates.

Georgia Tech students A.D. Barfield, Lily Manavi, and Candace Farr discuss the merits of their snowman. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Despite above-freezing temperatures, a heavy flurry of snow fell on downtown Atlanta, blanketing cars and creating slushy streets and sidewalks. It hadn't snowed in Atlanta for more than a year — the area received 1.4 inches of snow in January 2008, said Laura Griffith of the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Ga.

I-75/85 connector, near 14th St. bridge construction. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Georgia transportation officials warned of potential icy conditions on roadways in middle and northern counties through Monday morning. No icing on roadways, bridges or other overpasses had been reported through midday Sunday, but as temperatures drop Sunday night, officials warn motorists that ice could be a threat.

Outside the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, Flori Kwon of Claremont, Calif. took pictures of her son Jake, 5, playing in the snow.

"He wants to make a snowman but I don't think there's enough snow," Kwon said while large snowflakes landed in her hair. "We're kind of surprised it's snowing."

The late Southern snowfall brought back memories of a large storm in 1993 that forecasters nicknamed the "Snowfall of the Century," affecting the region from Alabama to north of Washington, D.C. on March 13, 1993, Griffith said. In that storm, Atlanta received 4.2 inches of snow and 13 inches of snow fell on Birmingham, Ala.


Pedestrians and snowmen at an overpass in midtown Atlanta. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Meanwhile, tornado watches were in effect from northern Florida into coastal Georgia and southern South Carolina.

Crossing Peachtree Ave., in midtown Atlanta, as the snow blows around. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Despite above-freezing temperatures in downtown Atlanta, a heavy curtain of snow fell on cars and caused traffic accidents on slushy streets. The unusual weather prompted 26-year-old Jessi Prahl and Max DiPace to take their dog, Cooper, on a walk through snow-covered Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

Says Prahl: "You know us Southerners, we all freak out when it snows."

(AP)
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Send us your snow photos (in standard .jpg format), and we'll post the best ones here: dbender at gpb dot org (replace the "at" with @ and "Dot" with .)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of today's wintry weather.

Arctic Blast Arrives in Georgia

The arctic blast of cold air has arrived in Georgia. A sampling of temperatures Friday morning at 8am:

Blue Ridge 5 degrees
Ellijay 10 degrees (wind chill -6)
Rome 13 degrees (wind chill 2)
Columbus 19 degrees (wind chill 9)
Macon 21 degrees (wind chill 12)
Augusta 22 degrees (wind chill 13)
Savannah 30 degrees (wind chill 22)

There is a wind chill advisory in effect for portions of north Georgia until noon today.

Forecasters say Friday's daytime forecast should be sunny and cold, with temperatures ranging from the low 30's to mid 40's north to south. Temperature readings for Friday night into Saturday could be lower than those of temperatures being felt this morning.

Frigid Weather Moves Into Georgia

The coldest weather of the season has moved into Georgia. National Weather Service forecasters say temperatures below freezing will be felt across the state the next two nights. Readings in the teens will be felt in north Georgia, single-digits in the mountains, and temperatures in the 20's for central and southern portions of the state.

Combined with winds of 10-15 mph gusting to 20 mph, areas of north Georgia will likely experience wind chills of zero degrees...or colder.

Forecasters say after daytime highs only in the 30’s and 40’s for Friday, tomorrow night's readings could be lower than what Georgia will experience tonight.

Warmer Winter Expected

Temperatures in Georgia are about fifteen degrees higher than typical for this time of year. And forecasters at the national weather service expect that trend to continue, as they predict a warmer winter season in 2009.

That doesn’t mean the air won’t get cold. By New Years day, forecasters expect temperatures to drop off by ten degrees. Still, forecasters say an above normal winter could produce some days much higher than the seasonal average.

This current warm air is courtesy of an air stream from the Gulf of Mexico. More tropical air could flood the southeast, as ocean waters stay warm into the winter. Forecasters do not believe these warmer highs in the southeast is due to global, man made climate change.

Cold weather blasts Georgia

The coldest temperatures of the season settled-in across the state in the early morning hours. Readings in the teens and 20's were being felt this morning in the state. A freeze warning was in effect for the entire state until 9am. The forecast today calls for sunny and warmer—-highs mainly in the 50’s, except for 40’s in the mountains.

Freeze forecast for most of Georgia

Bundle up: the outlook for this midtown Atlanta skyline, as for much of the state is for clear - and very cold - temperatures overnight. (Dave Bender)

Freezing temperatures are expected over most of Georgia as a blast of cold air from Canada makes its way into the state.

The National Weather Service says temperatures Tuesday night and early Wednesday are expected to range from the upper teens in far north Georgia to the upper 20s and mid 30s near the coast.

Freezing temperatures also were forecast for tonight in much of north and central Georgia. The NWS forecasts a hard freeze for the southwest part of the state:

"A HARD FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM
MIDNIGHT  TONIGHT TO 9 AM EST WEDNESDAY. A FREEZE
WATCH REMAINS  IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY
NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY  MORNING.

STRONG HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD INTO
THE  AREA TONIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL RAPIDLY
AFTER  SUNSET. TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO REACH
THE FREEZING  MARK AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH
DURATIONS  OF 5 TO 7 HOURS OF  SUB-FREEZING
TEMPERATURES EXPECTED.  ADDITIONALLY... A HARD
FREEZE IS FORECAST FOR SEVERAL  HOURS TOWARDS
DAYBREAK WITH TEMPERATURES BOTTOMING
OUT BETWEEN  25 AND 27 DEGREES.

ANOTHER FREEZE EVENT IS FORECAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT
WITH TEMPERATURES BOTTOMING OUT BETWEEN
28 AND 32 DEGREES... COLDEST ACROSS THE SUWANNEE
VALLEY IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA." 

The NWS predicts a gradual warming trend through the week. By Saturday, the forecast calls for lows in the 20s and 30s in north Georgia to the 40s in the south, followed by daytime highs from the upper 40s to about 70 in parts of south Georgia.

Maps and details of the areas expected to be affected are here: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/

Click here for more GPB News coverage of statewide weather events.

(AP)

Storms, high winds sweep across west Georgia

Click map for full-size image. Courtesy National Weather Service

Multiple counties in western and northwestern Georgia were under tornado warnings and watches through most of Sunday afternoon and evening.

There were unconfirmed reports that tornados had touched down in areas northwest of Atlanta, as well as further south near Columbus and Macon.

Residents in the metro Atlanta area reported heavy rain, flooded streets and underpasses and, in some cases, large hailstones.

Georgia Power reports some 5,000 households without power in central Georgia, after high winds knocked down power lines.

A tornado warning remains in effect until 01:00 Monday morning, across a wide swath of central Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. Click here for real-time updates and further details.

Forecast: Cold and Clear After Saturday Snows

These were common suburban scenes across greater Atlanta early Sunday morning: remaining clumps of snow falling off roofs and slick, cracking ice on roads, as temperatures hovered in the mid-teens. (Dave Bender)

Snow, rain and sleet spread across parts of the South on Saturday, dusting lawns and shrubs with flakes and leading airlines to cancel several hundred flights.

All five runways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were reported open, but an automated Internet report from the Federal Aviation Administration said some flights bound for the airport were delayed by more than four hours.

Delta Air Lines Inc. had about 260 flight cancellations Saturday, spokeswoman Betsy Talton said. AirTran Airways spokesman Tad Hutcheson said 78 flights were canceled by afternoon and more cancellations were expected.

"We do have flights but with delays due to deicing, customers need to bring patience with them," Hutcheson said in a statement.

Snow fell as far south as southwestern Mississippi, with totals of as much as 3 inches, although the ground was too warm to allow it to accumulate. It was that area's first snowfall since 2001, the National Weather Service said.

Meteorologists in Georgia warned that the area's mixture of rain and snow could make roads icy Sunday morning, after overnight temperatures only in the upper teens and low 20s.

"We're really stressing people should, especially in the north metro area, stay off roads as much as possible," said Laura Griffith of the weather service office in Peachtree City.

Click here for National Weather Service warnings and alerts for Georgia.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the wintry weather.

(The Associated Press)

Union County schools closed a third straight day

The cold weather of the week across the state will keep students in extreme north Georgia's Union County home for a third straight day. Students there were supposed to return to class on Wednesday for the start of the new semester. However, snow that fell in the area combined with single-digit overnight temperatures forced closure of the school system. Warmer temperatures are being forecast for the state over the weekend.

Cold snap continues across Georgia

Students in north Georgia’s Union County will get a second straight day off from school. Another day of snow and ice in the area has postponed the start of the new semester once more. On the roadways, officials say snow and ice has closed Georgia 348--the Richard B. Russell Parkway.

North Georgia this morning is experiencing temperatures in the teens, while south Georgia has temperatures this morning in the 20's.

Forecasters today say to expect highs today in the 40’s across Georgia--30’s in the mountains.

Coldest temps of season--and snow--into Georgia

A cold blast of air and for some Georgians, a thin blanket of snow, settled on the state this 2nd day of the New Year.

Snow showers fell in many areas of north Georgia overnight, including most of an eight-county stretch along the state line with Tennessee getting 1-2 inches of snow. Snow showers are possible for many of those areas until early afternoon. Temperatures for much of north Georgia this morning were in the 20’s.

The weather has closed Union County schools today, on what would have been the first day of the new semester.

The state forecast includes a wind advisory for much of Georgia, and hard freeze warning for south Georgia through the evening. Highs today expected in the 30s and 40s across the state.

State gets cold weather to open '08

The New Year will bring much colder weather for the first days of the new calendar. Highs across Georgia today are expected mainly in the 30’s and 40’s for north and central portions of the state. The National Weather Service says a wind advisory is in effect for this afternoon and tonight for much of Georgia. A hard freeze is expected tonight into Wednesday morning, with the mercury settling in the mid and upper teens for much of northern Georgia.