Icy patches make driving hazardous

Ice patches posed a lingering hazard on a few roads around metro Atlanta Monday, although brisk overnight winds followed by bright morning sun left most interstates and major streets mostly dry in the wake of Sunday’s snowfall.

About 50,000 homes or businesses were still without power Monday at midday, the bulk of them in and around the Athens area, which saw five to six inches of snow.

The University of Georgia canceled classes Monday. Dorm residents said they still had power — and some said they needed the day off to get back to the books for this week’s midterm exams.

“I’m starting to get some work done,” said Mason Locke, a 20-year old majoring in biotechnology and food science. “My snow day was yesterday when everyone went out and played in the fluff.”

In metro Atlanta, rush hour was light but not trouble-free. The state Department of Transportation shut down all eastbound lanes of I-20 near in Newton County before 8 a.m. because of a wreck caused by icing past Alcovy Road. The wreck was cleared about 9.

About noon, a major wreck involving two tractor trailers shut down southbound I-285 in south DeKalb County, but it did not appear to be weather-related. Some lanes were reopened by 12:40 p.m.

Georgia Power spokeswoman Carol Boatright said 28,000 customers were without electricity Monday at noon — all but about 150 of them in the Athens area. She said crews were coming from south Georgia to help restore service.

Some rural areas could be without power until Tuesday, Boatright said.

Georgia Electrical Membership Corporation spokeswoman Terri Statham said about 20,500 EMC customers statewide were without power Monday at 10 a.m., down from 45,000 on Sunday night.

“Outages are due mainly to the weight of snow and winds causing trees to fall on power lines,” Statham said. “Due to the extent of the damage, it is estimated that some repairs could extend into early to late Monday evening.”

School systems closed on Monday included DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Rockdale and Newton counties, as well as the cities of Atlanta and Decatur.

The DOT said crews worked overnight to minimize the risk of icing but patches could still be hazardous until the sun climbs high enough to melt them.

“Bridges, other overpasses and roadways have been plowed, treated and re-treated throughout the night, but with temperatures well below freezing, they are susceptible to rapid re-icing,” spokesman David Spear said.

The mercury climbed above freezing by noon in Atlanta, and it was expected to reach the low 40s under sunny skies Monday afternoon. A low in the low 20s is forecast Monday night.

Tuesday will be sunny, with highs in the upper 40s and lows in the mid-20s.

A warm-up begins Wednesday, with highs reaching the low 70s by the end of the week.

Sunday’s heaviest snowfall was reported in a swath from Gwinnett County east to the Athens area, the Weather Service said.

Winterville, in Clarke County near Athens, reported 6.5 inches, while 7 inches of snow fell in Madison County and Gwinnett got 5 inches.

Other snowfall amounts across metro Atlanta included 1.5 inches in Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb counties and 2 inches in Clayton and Fayette counties.