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.

Snow's a-coming

The National Weather Service has the snow arriving after 11am...

Today Snow, mainly after 11am. High near 32. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of around an inch possible. 

Tonight Snow, mainly before 1am. Low around 17. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. 

The National Weather Service also has a little history for today: "In 1948, an ice storm that affected states from Arkansas to South Carolina, including Georgia, caused $20 million dollars in damage and resulted in 30 deaths."

Cyclists and pedestrians: be bright!

"The Governor's Office of Highway Safety is urging cyclists and pedestrians to wear reflective gear. 

GOHS officials say there were more than 130 pedestrian fatalities in 2012 and the number accounted for about 11 percent of all traffic deaths that year. Authorities say a majority of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities on a national level happen at night. Officials say about 32 percent happen between 8 p.m. and midnight, and 24 percent happen between midnight and 4 a.m."  Read the rest @ CBS Atlanta

For additional safety tips, visit the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

DeKalb Co. School System makes progress with SACS

Goodish news...

"DeKalb has met or made significant progress on the "required actions" to regain full accreditation by SACS, including planning, instituting respect for the superintendent's authority, fiscal discipline and effective deployment of technology..." Read the rest @ AJC

The System still has work to do (its upgraded status is "accredited warned") but it is good to hear that progress is being made.

Paper shredding event [Jan 25, 26]

via CHCA

From realtor Joan Kaplan: Join us at our 4th Annual Free Community Paper Shredding Event on Saturday, January 25, 2014 between 9:30 am- noon (or until the truck fills up) and again on Sunday January 26, 2014 between 1:30pm-4:00 pm (or until the truck fills up) located in the Toco Hills Shopping Center at 2899-A North Druid Hills (on the Kroger side), hosted by Joan Kaplan of Marshall Berch & Associates Real Estate of Palmer House Properties. Gather up your old documents to be shredded & destroyed on-site (while you watch) the EcoShredding truck. Maximum of 5 boxes per vehicle please. We teamed up again with professional organizers Linda Lanier and Michelle Cooper of Put-it-There Professional Organizers to host this free community event. For more information contact Realtor Joan Kaplan at 404/ 281 4106  or joan@joankaplan.com.

What to shred? Consumer Reports has some guidelines on how long to keep documents.

Neighborhood service projects on MLK Day

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo shamelessly stolen from
Medlock Park Neighbors Facebook page.

What a neighborhood: not one, not two, but THREE clean-ups were organized as service projects to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. ICS volunteers tidied up the area behind and around the school, neighbors picked up litter off roadsides, and the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve mulched, tidied up and planted seedings.

Thank you to all the volunteers!

Tree Benadryl: "I no longer feel congested!"
Begone, English ivy; the remaining "above shoulder" height tendrils will die. Die!

Also at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve, this damaged maple was safely removed
by an arborist.

Tree Planting at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Jan 20]

via the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve:

"Join us on MLK Day from 1-3:30pm for a volunteer day. We will be doing trail maintenance, removing English ivy, and planting trees (600, to be precise).

Meet the baby trees, class of 2034: white oaks, redbuds and shortleaf pines.

Tomorrow's trees begin growing
today...

We are expecting a big group, so please bring gloves and other hand tools. A few extra wheel barrows would help too."

If you have not been by the nature preserve lately, you would be surprised at the progress. Large amounts of privet have been removed, opening the understory for natives. With all this good rain we have had, the pond is full, and the colors are great.

The recent freeze really toasted the bamboos, they look a bit snow-capped. On a chilly morning, expect some ice along the edge of the pond.

Panoramic view of the pond (with ducks!). Click to enlarge or view full-size image.