Glazed

Although the 2"+ snow forecast did not materialize, we did have overnight precipitation and temperatures in the 20's, resulting in a mini ice storm.

Twigs are glazed in ice, sidewalks and pavement look clear but there's a lot of patches of ice. Careful when/if you step out today!

DeKalb County Prepared for Winter Weather & School Closings

via Commissioner Jeff Rader... 

Roads and drainage, public safety and others on standby for significant winter weather DeKalb officials are preparing for the arrival of potentially significant winter weather and are urging residents to stay home and off the roads in icy or snowy conditions.

"We can't stress enough the importance of staying off the roads," said DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond. "Our crews can better prepare and clear the roads when there are fewer cars and congestion."

County officials will monitor changes in the weather as the region prepares for a winter storm and will coordinate with DeKalb schools, universities and county facilities if early dismissal is required. 

The county's Roads and Drainage division has 16 sand spreaders, more than 1,000 tons of salt and 1,800 tons of sand to make the sand-salt mixture used to clear ice from roads. Staff is also prepared to stay onsite overnight as needed.

DeKalb Police personnel are on standby to be placed on 12-hour shifts. Fleet Management will equip police vehicles with chains should they be needed to navigate snow covered roads.

In addition, the county's 911 call center is fully staffed with additional operators scheduled for the weather event expected to occur on Friday and Saturday.

Officials state that DEMA will activate its Emergency Operations Center to help coordinate operations within the county and with external partners if necessary. The center serves as central command to support critical infrastructure, communicate supplemental needs to Georgia Emergency Management Agency and update media on road conditions.

Weather update from City Schools of Decatur & DeKalb County

Due to forecasts of inclement weather, City Schools of Decatur will begin dismissal one hour early on Friday January 6, 2017. College Heights ECLC, and the Frasier center, will close at 3:00pm Friday January 6, 2017. ALL after school programs are canceled for Friday, January 6, 2017 including, Animal Crackers, Whiz Kids and Project R.E.A.L. Extracurricular and athletic activities are canceled for Friday, January 6, Saturday, January 7, and Sunday, January 8. District administration will continue to work with state and local officials to monitor the weather and provide updates if forecasts change.

DeKalb County Schools will have a two hour early release and has cancelled all after school activities for Friday and the weekend due to the anticipated weather for Friday and Saturday.

Our offices will be closing at 1:00 pm today. We will send out any new information via email, Facebook and Twitter as we receive it.

Make sure to check on elderly neighbors that might need assistance and bring your pets inside! Stay off the roads and be safe. 

Thank you.

- Jeff Rader

Your winter forecast

Temperature - U.S. Winter Outlook: 2015-2016 
(Credit: NOAA)

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), southeastern states should brace for a winter season that could be 33% cooler and 50% wetter than usual.

Precipitation - U.S. Winter Outlook: 2015-2016 
(Credit: NOAA)

For the whole winter outlook, see http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/101515-noaa-strong-el-nino-sets-the-stage-for-2015-2016-winter-weather.html

National Weather Service

Issued at 1pm Wednesday, January 29, 2014, National Weather Service
Active for next 23 hours 

Locations: Clayton; Cobb; DeKalb; Douglas; Fayette; Fulton; Gwinnett; Henry; Rockdale 

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City has relayed a Civil Emergency Message at the request of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency in Atlanta Georgia.
A state of emergency remains in effect for all of Georgia due to impacts from a winter storm on Tuesday through this morning. 

This message replaces the Winter Storm Warning that expired at 1:00 pm EST this afternoon. It will remain in effect until noon on Thursday and primarily pertains to the Atlanta metro counties of Gema Area 7. Those counties include Fulton, Dekalb, Clayton. Cobb, Gwinnett, Douglas, Rockdale, Fayette and Henry Counties. 

A combination of some sleet initially followed by 1 to 3 inches of snow caused most roadways to become extremely hazardous and in many cases impassable. The ice and snow has been compacted into solid sheets of ice which continues to cause treacherous road conditions. Hundreds of vehicles and trucks are still stranded or abandoned on portions of the interstates and primary roads in the Atlanta metro area. Any melting that occurs this afternoon will refreeze tonight as temperatures fall into the teens. 

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency requests that travel be limited to emergencies only for your safety, and for the safety of emergency officials and Georgia Department of Transportation employees that continue to respond to the dangerous impacts of the winter storm.

Winter Storm Warning Until 1PM today

Latest updates @ 9:45am via Facebook:

TG: drove my wife to work at DeKalb Medical from Joiner Court, up Woodtrail Lane, then up Medlock to North Decatur Road. Looks like North Decatur was salted. Nice and grippy. The rest was icy but passable. 

MS: Desmond is drivable from Clairmont to Gaylemont - downtown Decatur is okay too. Up the hill on Clairmont at the VA is NOT okay.

via http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/.  Click to enlarge.

The AJC and CNN are reporting on how so many people have been stuck overnight due to crowded road conditions, accidents and overall gridlock resulting from yesterday's snows.  Many neighbors had long commutes yesterday, but overall, our side of town has fared better than most. As for today, neighborhood streets are navigable and traffic is very light, but there are a lot of icy spots and those who had to head out recommend avoiding the roads if possible. With a current temperature of 13F and an expected high of 33F, it's likely more ice will develop.  Tonight's low is expected to be 18F but Thursday should bring a high of 42F.

AJC: Gridlock continues as unspeakably horrible commute home stretches into hour 18

CNN: Stranded, cold motorists spend nights on freeways after rare snow in South

Facebook:  users are communicating with one another and sharing updates via SnowedOutAtlanta. Lots of stories about folks opening up their homes to strangers, Kroger bringing food to kids stranded in school buses, etc.

For a map showing road conditions, visit GA DOT at http://www.511ga.org/. In the neighborhood, drivers are reporting icy spots so please drive only if you have to, and proceed with caution. Some nearby views below, courtesy of GA DOT cameras:

US78 E at Lawrenceville Hwy. 

US78 E at North Druid Hills Rd.

The following Winter Storm Warning for DeKalb continues until 1pm today (and apologies, for the National Weather Service speaks in ALL CAPS):

Winter Storm Warning for De Kalb, GA

... WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON...

* LOCATIONS... NORTHERN GEORGIA.

* HAZARD TYPES... CONTINUED HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS DUE TO SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADS.

* ACCUMULATIONS... NO ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS.

* TIMING... NOW THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS... SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADWAYS WILL MAKE TRAVEL EXTREMELY TREACHEROUS. NUMEROUS VEHICLE ACCIDENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTED ACROSS NORTHERN GEORGIA. STAY OFF THE ROADWAYS IF POSSIBLE.

* TEMPERATURES... LOWER 20S INCREASING TO LOWER 30S.

* WIND CHILL VALUES... WITH WINDS OF 5 TO 15 MPH OVERNIGHT... WIND CHILLS WILL BE BETWEEN 5 TO 10 DEGREES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR CONTINUED SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADS MEANS THAT TRAVEL WILL CONTINUE TO BE DANGEROUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT... FOOD... AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

10-day Hotlanta warning

click to enlarge

Temperatures in the Atlanta area are expected to reach 100F over the next several days; extreme UV levels are also expected.  The GA Department of Natural Resources also predicts air quality to hit code orange:

Under code orange conditions, the outdoor air is likely to be unhealthy for some people. Children, people who are sensitive to ozone and people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion during the late afternoon or early evening when ozone concentrations are highest 

To stay cool and safe, review these heat preparedness tips for people, pets, and for your landscaping too.