The Farmers’ Almanac ranks Atlanta as the third most likely American city to be shut down by the weather. Which raises the question after last January’s ice storm -- only No. 3?
Washington, D.C., and Chicago ranked ahead of metro Atlanta as most vulnerable to the weather -- specifically, winter storms -- and New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, behind us.
Peter Geiger, Farmers’ Almanac editor, said in a news release Tuesday, "The idea that weather can shut down cities for hours if not days in the 21st century is really something. It proves that, despite all of our technology, the weather remains one thing none of us can control."
The mountains to the north of metro Atlanta tend to shield the city from the worst of things. Every now and then, though, Old Man Winter sneaks through.
Ice storms and freezing rain or glaze happen here two of every three years, a snowfall of 4 inches or more occurs about once very five years, and a severe ice storm that causes major disruptions and significant property damage hits us once every 10 years, according to the Almanac.
"While I don't rely on the Farmers' Almanac for their weather forecasts, I do find this (news release) spot on," said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley. When unusually severe weather happens, he said, "they become 'Where were you when?' stories, but most of our winter weather is fairly benign.
“Each year we have several threats for ice and snow, but life-stopping events are still rare,” Chandley said. “It still amuses me when ‘outsiders’ talk about our lack of snow-removal equipment when in reality, the cost of such an operation is better spent in other areas.”
The latest gripes about metro Atlanta’s supposed lack of preparedness happened after the Jan. 10 storm. Though forecasters warned days in advance of a winter system bringing 3 to 5 inches of snow followed by freezing rain, the region was caught flat-footed by its severity.
“Ice Jam 2011” virtually shut down the area for a week. The interstates became impassable sheets of ice, banks and grocery stores closed, MARTA stopped running and thousands of schoolchildren and workers were shut up in their homes. The hit to the local economy was estimated as high as $300 million.
The 10 cities most vulnerable to winter weather, as ranked by the Farmers' Almanac, are in declining order Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Atlanta; New York; Los Angeles; Dallas; Boston; New Orleans; St. Louis, and Buffalo. Details are on the Almanac's website.
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