Atlanta weather | Some roads clear, others still icy

11:20 p.m.: Expect a hard freeze with a low of 17 degrees overnight, Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns reported. He warned that black ice is likely to form. After a very cold start to Friday, temperatures should warm to a high near 40 degrees with lots of sunshine, he said.

10:06 p.m.: Click here for the details about MARTA's reduced bus and train service Friday, including a list of the routes that will be in service.

9:52 p.m.: MARTA will operate with reduced service Friday. Trains will run on a weekend schedule, and the system will run a dozen buses.

9:00 p.m.: Even Tybee Island has a snowman this year. The Atlanta transplant is a Falcon's fan, says the local newspaper.

8:45 p.m.: Here's a link to a list of some of those closed roadways in DeKalb County. There are significant closures, such as the mile-long stretch of Klondike Road south of I-20 near the Mall at Stonecrest.

8:15 p.m.: Coweta County schools will remain closed Friday.

7:50 p.m.: DeKalb County has closed more than two dozen spots on roads for an indefinite period because of ice. The closures range from the eastbound exit ramp if I-285 to Ashford Dunwoody Road and a portion of Johnson Ferry Road in north DeKalb to Klondike Road near Mall Parkway in south DeKalb.

7:28 p.m.: Eagles Landing Christian Academy in Henry County will be closed Friday.

6:26 p.m.: The Georgia Department of Transportation is showing slow traffic on the Downtown Connector, in both directions of I-75 north of the Connector and southbound Ga. 400 near the Connector, plus clockwise bound I-285 at the top end of the Perimeter and south of Spaghetti Junction.

6:20 p.m.: First the good news: no major delays at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport -- unless you're headed to San Francisco. Now, the bad news: the two left lanes of northbound I-75 at Northside Drive will be blocked until nearly 9 p.m. and the left lane of the I-75 southbound lane to I-285 will be blocked for an hour or so.

6:01 p.m.: Windy Hill Road in Smyrna is back up to two lanes, police there say.

5:49 p.m.: They'll be back to minting lawyers Friday: the John Marshall Law School will be open.

5:45 p.m.: Atlanta police are clarifying their earlier warning about towing abandoned vehicles: legally parked vehicles will not be towed and don't have to be moved. But the city is recommending removal so they can get heavy equipment in to clean the streets. "The only cars that are subject to towing are those that are impeding the flow of traffic, and deemed a traffic hazard," said Officer Kim Jones of the Atlanta Police Department. "Owners are urged to remove those immediately. Other cars that have been abandoned, but do not represent a hazard, will be tagged per city policy and removed within five days."

5:42 p.m.: Eastbound Windy Hill Road is constricted to one lane for the next hour, from Reed Street to Roswell Street, as crews attempt to remove ice. Smyrna police are asking drivers to slow down and leave themselves more distance behind the car ahead. "There have been many spin outs and accidents in the area throughout the day," the police said.

5:41 p.m.: City of Decatur Schools are closed Friday.

5:32 p.m.: Henry County Schools are closed Friday though certain staffers -- "12-month employees" -- are expected to report for work at 10 a.m

5:30 p.m.: Clayton County schools will be closed Friday, but custodial staff should report to their schools.

5:25 p.m.: Mayor Kasim Reed says the city is quickening the pace of snow removal by increasing the amount of snow removal equipment in operation. The total stands at 115 now, up from 58 and before that just 10 or so.

4:52 p.m.: Atlanta Public Schools are closed Friday.

4:46 p.m.: Conyers government offices will open at 10 a.m. Friday

4:27 p.m.: Gwinnett County schools are closed Friday.

3:59 p.m.: Cobb County's Board of Education work session will start Friday with public comment at 9:30 a.m.

3:58 p.m.: Carroll County schools are closed Friday.

3:57 p.m.: The meeting with Cobb County school board member Kathleen Angelucci at North Cobb High on Thursday has been canceled. A new date has not been scheduled.

3:55 p.m.: DeKalb County schools are closed. 12-month employees are to report at 12 p.m.

3:53 p.m.: University of Georgia classes will start at 10 a.m. Friday.

3:51 p.m.: Forsyth County schools are closed Friday.

3:47 p.m.: Marietta City Schools are closed Friday.

3:45 p.m.: Xpress, the regional commuter coach service, will run a limited schedule Friday. Xpress, CCT and GCT have added seven additional routes to the ones that ran Thursday. There will be no service on Georgia 400. Other corridors in the region will have limited service. All Xpress service will go only to or from the MARTA Civic Center station. There will be no service to other Midtown or Downtown Atlanta stops. Please check the service alerts section on the Xpress website for specific details.

3:38 p.m.: Douglas County schools are closed Friday.

3:32 p.m.: Cobb County schools are closed Friday.

3:02 p.m.: Clayton County Courts -- including Superior and State -- will resume regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, court administrator Matthew Sorensen said. Judges' staffs are rescheduling cases affected by this week's snow storm.

3:01 p.m.: Cherokee County's school make-up days have tentatively been scheduled for four days during the "February Break" and March 17, 18, school officials said. The make-up days during February would reduce the week-long break to a three-day weekend: Feb. 19, 20, 21.

2:57 p.m.: Paulding County schools are closed Friday.

2:56 p.m.: Cherokee County schools are closed Friday. 12-month employees should report at 10 a.m.

2:52 p.m.: Windy Hill Road between Dixie Avenue and Village Parkway is closed due to numerous accidents currently at this location, authorities said.

2:50 p.m.: Hall County schools closed.

1:53 p.m.: DeKalb District 5 Commissioner Lee May's budget town hall meeting originally planned for today, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m.

1:39 p.m.: Fulton County schools are closed Friday. 12-month employees are to report at noon.

1:38 p.m.: The Atlanta police is asking anyone with a vehicle -- parked legally or abandoned -- on the side of the road to move it so the city can start removing snow and ice from neighborhoods and side streets. "If vehicles are left on the roadway they may become damaged as these trucks are attempting to clean the roadway," the APD said.

1:28 p.m.: An accident has closed Lawrenceville Highway in DeKalb between Imperial Hills and North Atlanta Drive, county officials said.

12:58 p.m.: North Avenue in Midtown is blocked between Piedmont Avenue and Boulevard by a tractor-trailer that Atlanta police dispatchers said slid down the hill and jack-knifed.

12:50 p.m.: Note from MARTA: MARTA's phone system, including the customer service line at 404-848-5000, is operating; however, due to the large call volume we continue to experience, we are having some technical difficulties.

12:27 p.m.: Emergency crews in north Fulton County are working a wreck involving an overturned vehicle and entrapment that has shut down all southbound lanes of Ga. 400 near Mansell Road.

12:12 p.m.: State Department of Transportation cameras show traffic still very heavy in both directions across the top-end Perimeter as motorists  navigate numerous icy patches.

11:56 a.m.: Georgia Electric  Membership Corporation reports that only 50 EMC customers are currently without power, with those outages in east Georgia.

11:21 a.m.: DeKalb County Commissioner Lee May's budget town hall meeting that was scheduled for Thursday night has been moved to Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Lou Walker Senior Center on Panola Road in Lithonia.

11:10 a.m.: Temperatures are beginning to rebound from overnight lows that hovered around 20 degrees. Readings at 11 a.m. include 25 in Marietta, 26 in Chamblee, and at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, 27 in Canton and 28 in Peachtree City.

11:00 a.m.: The elevated ramp from I-85 southbound to the Buford/Spring Connector remains shut down. A state Department of Transportation spokesman said the ramp has been treated several times, but keeps refreezing.

10:15 a.m.: The state Department of Transportation is asking motorists who have abandoned their vehicles to retrieve those cars and trucks as soon as possible.  "Effective ice removal cannot occur while vehicles remain in highway travel lanes and on shoulders," said DOT spokesman David Spear. "As temperatures warm and ice melts today, it will become imperative to clear shoulders so runoff will drain properly and not pool in roadways to refreeze tonight."

9:32 a.m.: After being canceled all week, inmate visitation will resume at noon at the Fulton County Jail.

8:53 a.m.: A wreck is blocking the ramp from  I-85 southbound to the Buford Highway/Spring Street Connector and Peachtree Road.

8:46 a.m.: Gwinnett County police said Thursday that icy roads and driving too fast for conditions were contributing factors in a Wednesday afternoon wreck on Breckinridge Boulevard that left a Duluth man dead.

8:10 a.m.: Update from the state Department of Transportation: "Currently, all interstates are passable with at least one lane open to traffic. GDOT crews continue working in the interior lanes of the interstate and conditions are hazardous in those lanes. Please utilize the outside lane as you travel today as GDOT crews work to clear the inside lanes."

8:02 a.m.: Crews are working to clear icy patches on I-285 at I-20 in DeKalb County.

7:44 a.m.: Westbound U.S. 78 at Brockett Road has reopened.

7:34 a.m.: The state Department of Transportation is reporting that the westbound lanes of U.S. 78 are blocked by ice and a wreck at Brockett Road.

7:23 a.m.: MARTA is adjusting the earlier-announced plans for bus service, and will not operate Routes 83, 95, 178 as originally planned due to road conditions.

7:20 a.m.: Athens-Clarke County police Lt. Keith Morris asks that motorists stay off the roads if at all possible. "There remains a great deal of ice on the surface streets and in many areas, driving is extremely treacherous," Morris said. The University of Georgia has delayed opening until 11 a.m.

7:15 a.m.: Icing has led to a wreck that is blocking the two left lanes of I-285 westbound near Northside Drive.

7:14 a.m.: Temperatures just before daybreak include 18 degrees in Alpharetta and Dunwoody, 19 in Canton and Lawrenceville and 20 in Marietta and at Harstfield-Jackson International Airport.

7:10 a.m.: Atlanta police reporting significant icing problems at several intersections: Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard at Courtland Street, Baker Street at Courtland Street, West Peachtree Street at Peachtree Street and Fair Street at Joseph P. Lowery Boulevard.

7:05 a.m.: Icing reported on Ga. 400 between Buckhead and I-285.

6:40 a.m.: The state Department of Transportation reports that the wreck on I-285 southbound at Cascade Road has been cleared.

6:22 a.m.: A car spun out on ice and struck the median wall on I-85 southbound near Pleasantdale Road, just before Spaghetti Junction.

6:20 a.m.: The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, which opened on Wednesday at AmericasMart downtown, is operating on schedule. At the Georgia World Congress Center, the four-day Atlanta Boat Show opens at 3 p.m.

6:14 a.m.: All Cobb Community Transit local routes will be operating on regular schedules, but CCT express buses will be running on limited schedules:

- No service will be provided on CCT express routes 470, 475 and 477 due to icy road conditions on I-20.

- No service on CCT express routes 480 and 481.

- CCT routes 100, 101 and 102 will operate the regular schedule.

- Passengers who normally take the CCT route 480 should take CCT route 102.

- Passengers who normally take the CCT route 481 should take CCT route 100.

6:07 a.m.: Sunny skies later in the day will help melt the remaining ice, but temperatures won't. Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton says afternoon highs will struggle to reach the low 30s before plummeting into the mid-teens Thursday night, refreezing any remaining slush on streets and roadways. But major thawing help is on the horizon, with highs on Friday predicted to be in the 40s.

6:00 a.m.: Traffic is moving on I-20 eastbound between Six Flags and I-20, where on Wednesday, icing led to a major traffic jam that stretched 15 miles into Douglas County.

5:46 a.m.: Ice and a wreckk are blocking a couple of lanes of I-285 southbound near Cascade Road.

5:30 a.m.: MARTA trains running on weekend schedule, and the agency is offering limited bus service on 15 routes. There will be service 5:30 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. on the following routes: 1, 4, 16, 21, 49, 73, 83, 89, 95, 99, 110, 178, 181, 186 and 189.

5:23 a.m.: Most metro school systems remain closed, but some of the colleges and universities will be holding classes. Among those reopening: Georgia Tech at 10 a.m.

5:14 a.m.: Mark Arum in the WSB Radio Traffic Center says your biggest problem will be getting out of your neighborhood. Interstates are improving, although still not great in some spots. Arum suggests waiting until late morning to hit the roads if possible, and says 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be the optimal travel times.

5:00 a.m.: Any moisture on the roadways is frozen, as temperatures are in the upper teens and low 20s across metro Atlanta.

AJC staff contributed to these updates.