Q: What’s the worst ice storm that Atlanta has ever had? Some people say 1973. What’s the most snow Georgia has had in the southern part of the state, from Macon to Jacksonville?
—Ralph Rhyne, Snellville
A: Two winter storms devastated different parts of Georgia in 1973. An ice storm hit metro Atlanta and North Georgia on Jan. 7, knocking out power to more than 200,000 people and covering the area with more than two inches of ice. On Feb. 9-10 that year, a storm hit Middle Georgia and dumped more than a foot of snow on various cities. Columbus and Augusta received 14 inches, and more than 16 inches covered Macon. Snow was recorded as far south as Albany, Valdosta and north Florida, and accumulation records were set across the Southeast. "I can recall coming to Georgia from the University of Florida in Gainesville (Fla.) to see the snow," Glenn Burns, chief meteorologist for Channel 2 Action News, told Q&A on the News in an email.
Q: The U.S. Secretary of Defense proposes to shrink the active-duty Army to between 440,000 and 450,000 soldiers from the current 522,000. How many active-duty soldiers are in the armies of Russia, China and North Korea?
—Donnie Coker, Atlanta
A: Russia had 766,055 army personnel in January 2013, according to published reports. There were 1.483 million people in China's People's Liberation Army last April, according to the Hindustan Times, an English-language daily newspaper in India. It's estimated that the size of North Korea's army is 1.2 million, with 7.7 million in reserve, The Associated Press reported last April. Experts say North Korea's armed forces suffer from supply shortages and outdated equipment.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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