DeKalb opens warming shelters across the county

5 p.m.: County officials are offering a series of tips for the winter weather:

• Use proper ventilation with alternative heat sources, such as fireplaces and heaters.
• Don't use an oven as a heat source and don't bring grills, generators or kerosene heaters and the like inside to heat a home, as they emit poisonous carbon monoxide.
• Keep pets inside. If animals must remain outside, make sure their food and water is not frozen.
• Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses.
• Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas by wrapping them.
• Know where your master water shutoff valve is in case of burst pipes. It could be near the water heater, washing machine or where the water line enters the house.
• Leave a "pencil-lead-thin" stream flowing from faucets.
• If a pipe freezes, do not try to thaw it using an open flame. The safest tool is a hair dryer with low heat. Wave the warm air back and forth along the pipe.
• Check on the elderly.
• Sign up for the emergergy CodeRED alert system. To do so, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov and click the CodeRED icon on the bottom.

3 p.m.: The DeKalb Emergency Management Agency announced three warming centers available for use as temperatures drop.

The following locations are scheduled to remain open until further notice:

• Fire Station 3, 100 N. Clarendon Ave., Avondale Estates,  30002

• Fire Station 6, 2342 Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta, 303016

• Fire Station 21, 1090 Crown Point Pkwy., Atlanta, 30338

12:50 p.m.: In DeKalb County, Friday afternoon looked different.

Kids storming the playground at St. Thomas More Church in downtown Decatur looked anxious to play in the collecting snow. People walked their dogs a little slower and felt fat flakes pelt their clothes. Houses decorated for Christmas suddenly looked much better.

Snow, that occasionally visiting somehow intoxicating yet totally legal substance, has come to visit typically sweaty metro Atlanta. Over the next few days, there could be a few inches.

Kids in DeKalb County Schools are getting let out of school early as a result. After-school activities are shot, or, maybe they've just shifted. There might not be any club meetings, but if the Georgia ground can get cool enough to collect enough snow, there might be some good snowball fights.

Government workers are also leaving early. Dunwoody, in the north of the county, closed at noon. County offices, in the center, are closing at 1 p.m.