Temps rise, but icy roads expected Monday morning

Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. High 53

For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.

Though air and pavement temperatures are above freezing and ice has melted off most of the roads, conditions are expected to worsen overnight.

“Pavement temperatures are out of the ‘danger zone’ across metro Atlanta,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls said.

While nearly 150,000 people were without power Saturday night, crews made progress overnight and by 5 a.m. Sunday Cobb EMC crews restored service to approximately 64,000 customers, spokeswoman Terri Statham said.

Since noon Friday, restoration crews have been in field and have safely restored power to approximately 320,000 customers, Georgia Power said in a statement.

At 5 p.m., approximately 47,000 EMC customers remained without power.

Most Georgia Power customers had power with 4,255 still experiencing 131 separate outages.

Crews from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida are working to get power restored, but the rate at which service returns depends upon the level of difficulty of each repair.

“For example, power lines in some remote areas do not always follow a paved roadway; many lines cross difficult terrain and present unique challenges,” Statham said.

After restoring power for more than 8,500 Jackson EMC members, Jackson EMC linemen began assisting Carroll EMC and Cobb EMC with restoration efforts in other parts of the state, Jackson EMC spokeswoman April Sorrow said.

Cobb County was one of the hardest hit areas with nearly 200 trees falling on roadways, Road Maintenance Division Manager Bill Shelton said.

Cobb County Government will open as usual Monday, but employees are urged to use caution and call in concerns if they have trouble getting in, Shelton said. Many in Cobb County and metro Atlanta remain without power, those power issues caused Cobb and Marietta Schools to close for Monday.

Douglas County Government offices will have a delayed opening for non-essential employees on Monday. The courthouse will open at 10 a.m. Monday.

Walls said patchy black ice could still be a problem in areas that are shaded or not well traveled.

If you happen to encounter black ice while driving, this is what you need to do:

Currently, the temperature in Atlanta is 44 degrees, 2 degrees above the forecast high for Sunday.

The average high this time of year is 55 degrees, Walls said.

After sunset, temperatures will fall below freezing again making Monday’s morning commute dangerous.

“The cycle will continue as long as there is snow on the ground ... there is a risk of re-freeze,” Walls said.

Monday is expected to be even warmer, with a high in the low 50s.