Atlanta weather | Snow, icy roads for Christmas

By Ty Tagami and Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta's first white Christmas in 128 years will lead to icy roadways Saturday night.

The snowfall that began Saturday morning will deposit 1 to 3 inches on metro Atlanta, 2 to 4 inches further north, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz. A winter storm warning for Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall and other northern counties remains in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday.

With temperatures dropping into the mid-20s Saturday night, roads will turn icy. State Department of Transportation officials say they will deploy crews in all parts of North Georgia, if needed.

Twenty-five crews were on metro Atlanta roadways at 7:30 p.m., looking for trouble spots and spreading a salt-sand mixture where needed.

"The roads are pretty good right now but the snow's coming down quite a bit and the temperature is dropping, so we really have to monitor it closely," DOT spokeswoman Jill Goldberg said.

Meanwhile, a looming blizzard in the Northeast could create a nightmare for holiday travelers. Ten to 15 inches of snow are supposed to fall in the New York City area from Sunday morning through Monday night, with the entire corridor from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia to Boston expected to get hit hard.

Delta was preparing to cancel flights to and from the Northeast.

"We do plan cancellations throughtout the day tomorrow as the storm moves into the Northeast," Delta spokesman Kent Landers told the AJC at 6:45 p.m. Saturday. "We are finalizing those cancellations. I don't have a projection yet."

Customers will be notified when flights are cancelled. Landers urged travelers to check their flights before heading to the airport.

In Decatur, the snow was sticking late Saturday afternoon. It was coming down heavy in Paulding County.

The flurries began in Cobb County about 11:30 a.m. Within 15 minutes, it was snowing hard, and a light dusting was noticable on grassy surfaces.

At 12:30 p.m., it was still snowing hard and the ground was nearly covered with about a quarter-inch of accumulation, although the snow was still melting on the neighborhood roads.

"My concern is that we'll have icy roads beginning Saturday night," Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley said. Cold air entering the state will plunge the area into a "deep freeze," he said.

Sunday's high will be just 33,  and Monday's just 34, according to Nitz. Above-freezing temperatures -- low 40s -- may return Tuesday, and loosen winter's icy grip on local roadways.

Heavy snow weighed down tree branches, causing them to fall on power lines in north Georgia. About 400 customers were without power, according to the Georgia Electric Member Corporation.

"Crews have been working all afternoon to restore power," spokeswoman Terri Statham said. "In some cases, however, their efforts have been delayed since it is difficult to reach some areas due to difficult driving conditions. They will work through the night, if necessary, to restore service."

This is Atlanta's first white Christmas since the Chester Arthur administration (that was 1882 for non-historians).

While the metro area did receive a brief smattering of flurries in 1993, none of it stuck. Nearly a third of an inch was measured 128 years ago, a record that's stood ever since.

Saturday started out with a wintry mix of sleet and rain that changed to snow as dry Arctic air collided with warm clouds from the Gulf of Mexico.

Just the threat of snow wreaked havoc on travelers arriving to and departing from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Delta Air Lines announced Friday that it canceled 300 flights out of Atlanta on Christmas Day and warned additional cancellations could follow.

Return to ajc.com for updates.

--Staff writers Christian Boone and George Mathis contributed to this report.