Winter Storm Watch In Atlanta: Here’s How The City Can Avoid Another ‘Snowmageddon’

The metro Atlanta area and other parts of North Georgia could see snow this weekend. According to the National Weather Service, North Georgia will be under a winter storm watch from Friday at 7 a.m. until Saturday at 7 a.m. 

The combination of snow and Atlanta is a rarely perfect match. While some Georgia residents are in awe of viewing a winter wonderland, the smallest amounts of snow and ice has caused chaos. 

On January 28, 2014, Atlanta dealt with the dreaded winter storm known as “Snowmageddon.”

Although only two-and-a-half inches of snow fell, it was enough to cripple the entire city. The snow began falling shortly after noon on that day. Within about an hour, the streets were covered in ice and people who decided to drive were stuck in traffic. Students in some areas were forced to sleep in schools as the school buses were unable to drive in the conditions, and some parents were unable to reach their kids. Some of the school bus drivers that decided to test the road found themselves stuck in traffic or unable to drive on the icy streets. As a result, some students had to sleep on buses that could not move until they were rescued.

Some individuals slept in their cars and others abandoned their vehicles and decided to walk to shelter. 

City and state leaders failed to prepare for the weather event. At the time, Georgia Department of Transportation only made about 5,000 gallons of brine. The salty mixture prevents ice from forming on the roads.

Georgia Department of Transportation appears to be more prepared this time around by having 393 snow removal dump trucks and 1.8-million gallons of brine. Over 50,000 gallons of brine can be produced per hour. 

Warming centers have also opened in metro Atlanta and can be used overnight. 

Transportation will be provided by Fulton County nightly at 8:00 PM from the Gateway Center, 275 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303. Return trips will be available upon deactivation. Activation times are subject to change based on the updated National Weather Service forecast.

 

About Post Author

Comments

From the Web

Skip to content