Get ready, metro Atlanta. The snow is on the way, according to forecasters.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for all of the metro area and north Georgia from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. Between 2 to 4 inches of snow could potentially blanket the metro area, and the northeast corner of the state could up to 6 inches, according to the NWS.
In response to the winter storm warning in 50 counties, Gov. Nathan Deal ordered state government offices in the affected areas to close at noon Wednesday and declared a state of emergency for disaster preparedness starting at 2 p.m.
“With forecasts showing we could see accumulation by 4 p.m., I want to make sure we get as many commuters home before then as possible,” Deal said in a news release Tuesday night. “While current models show that temperatures will remain above freezing, we don’t want to run the risk of having normal rush hour traffic volume if there’s snow or ice on the highways. In an effort to keep as many cars off the road as possible, I encourage people in both the public and private sector who can telecommute to please do so tomorrow.”
The 50 counties in the winter storm warning are Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Fulton, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Heard, Henry, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Morgan, Murray, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Rockdale, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, Walton, White, Whitfield counties.
Consider Tuesday morning’s dusting of snow and icy roads a preview of what is to come, only this time, more counties are included. Areas as far south as Newnan and north have the potential for snow.
Channel 2 chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said Wednesday’s precipitation should begin as a wintry mix across metro Atlanta during the afternoon before turning to snow as temperatures drop. And the precipitation will likely continue to fall overnight.
Wednesday’s high will peak at 38 degrees before dropping to just below freezing. Burns put the chance of precipitation at 90 percent Wednesday and 90 percent Thursday morning.
The next round of winter weather will be the second in as many days, though more snow is possible for round two.
Tuesday morning began rainy across most of metro Atlanta, but sleet began mixing in with the rain from the northwest around 4 a.m. The precipitation changed to a mixture of sleet and snow after daybreak, causing widespread travel problems across Bartow, Cherokee and Forsyth counties, along with some icing in the northern part of Cobb County.
Some school districts were closed Tuesday, including Cobb, Cherokee and Paulding. Tuesday afternoon, many metro districts made the decision to cancel Wednesday classes in anticipation of the winter weather. By late Tuesday, the other metro counties also announced schools would be closed.
Thursday will begin with morning lows in the upper 20s, then warm up into the low 40s during the afternoon. Friday should be mostly sunny, with lows in the mid-20s, followed by highs again in the middle 40s.
»Check the complete forecast and track changes
— Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this report.
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