Where’s the snow? As temperatures drop, North Carolina sees snowflakes
As temperatures drop and rain continues in metro Atlanta on Thursday afternoon, further north is already experiencing some snow and a wintry mix.
Rome City and Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Twiggs and Floyd county schools will be closed Friday due to possible black ice. Cobb, Banks and Calhoun city schools will delay the start. Other counties are monitoring the weather's progress for updates. Click here for updates.
»MORE: Cobb school district cancels events amid threat of icy conditions
Most of the current snowfall on the radar map spreads from northern Alabama through south and eastern Tennessee and into North Carolina. The front will continue to push east throughout the evening and into Friday morning.
North Carolina will be the hardest hit. More than 12 million are estimated to be affected by the snowstorm, and some areas expecting 3 to 6 inches, according to USA Today.
Will Atlanta see any snow? Current forecasts predict no accumulating snowfall, but some areas are reporting flurries.
Snow in ATL! Time for everyone to freak out in 3, 2, 1... 😏#snow #ATL@wsbtv @WSBTVNewsdesk @BradNitzWSB @BMonahanWSB pic.twitter.com/uCiTb2oc0p
— Zach Mayer (@ZMayer813) February 20, 2020
WSB meteorologist Brad Nitz responded to the tweet with “Probably not freak out for that. 😂 Thanks for the video!”
Weather.com reports a 30% to 40% chance of snow in Atlanta early Friday, likely ending before 5 a.m.
If you live in high elevations in North Georgia, you may already be seeing some flakes.
JUST IN: Snowing now in parts of Fannin County... near Blue Ridge... also starting to see some snow stick around Hiawassee. @wsbtv
— Brian Monahan, WSB (@BMonahanWSB) February 20, 2020
The National Weather Service reports Winter Weather Advisory alerts for the following counties: Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, Towns, Union, White, Murray, Habersham and Rabun. All of these advisories expire by 1 a.m. Friday.
Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Gordon, Walker and Whitfield counties are included under a special weather statement that warns of rain and snow coupled with cold temperatures.
"Accumulations are expected to remain limited, generally a half inch or less, though amounts up to an inch are possible at the highest elevations of Dade and Walker counties. Also of concern is the fact that temperatures will drop quickly Thursday night into Friday morning. Any lingering moisture on the roadways during this timeframe will result in black ice which could create additional hazardous driving conditions." — National Weather Service statement
❄️Snowy rain...Mts of Ellijay at 1:20p❄️ pic.twitter.com/1JKk6rmgRa
— RemnantWoman (@lnewsomern) February 20, 2020
Current state of things on Blairsville. @BradNitzWSB @BMonahanWSB pic.twitter.com/1G9Mr23GEn
— Jack Smith (@GatorConch) February 20, 2020
Don’t count on cold temperatures Friday bringing a blanket of snow, though. Friday’s weather forecast map is blank from coast to coast.
"Friday's weather across the Lower 48 is forecast to be so quiet that weather maps are showing up virtually blank...Other than perhaps a few showers along the Southeast coast, it's as if the continental United States has a massive deflector shield for rain or snow Friday." —Jonathan Erdman of The Weather Channel
Weather experts note that this only happens a few times a year.
They encourage people to enjoy the sun, no matter where they are across the contiguous U.S.
This is to inform all #weathergeeks that "inclement weather" has been cancelled for the U.S. this upcoming Friday. 😏 pic.twitter.com/8oJkPhq8kM
— Tom Niziol (@TomNiziol) February 17, 2020
