Record-snowfall struck Atlanta and the city will likely feel its effects into Saturday morning.
For days, the area was warned about the possibility of snow. But when the white stuff arrived, it wasn’t the dusting shown on some weather models.
It kept coming. And coming. And coming.
And now it’s snowing again in many parts of the metro area.
"This is one of the most significant snows I've ever seen in metro Atlanta and northern Georgia,” Channel 2 Chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
Schools that decided to operate as normal suddenly dismissed students early. Parents scrambled to pick up children. Sporting events and Christmas parades were postponed. And the bottlenecks on major interstates formed.
According to Channel 2 Action News, 6 to 10 inches of snow hit the North Georgia mountain and more is possible before it’s all over. Parts of metro Atlanta saw up to 6 inches.
“We will not be done with this until we head toward late tonight, early (Saturday) morning,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
The current temperature in Atlanta is 34 degrees.
This is how the day started, and continues to unfold. You can read more on Friday's winter weather on myajc.com.
Atlanta weather radar: Where is the storm now?
School cancellations, closings and dismissals: The story | The full list
Your neighborhood: Atlanta | Cobb | DeKalb | Fulton | Gwinnett
Travel: Airlines cancel flights amid winter storm
Traffic: Rush hour comes early as snow descends on Atlanta
A look at the latest updates:
10:53 p.m.: More snow is expected overnight. North Georgia has already seen up to 10 inches in parts of the region and could get an additional three inches by Saturday morning. Metro Atlanta's main concern is black ice as a result of freezing conditions. GDOT crews are continuing to brine the roads as more officials are scheduled in about 2 a.m., according to Channel 2 Action News.
10:42 p.m.: Road closures have increased as downed trees have made roads impassable. Marietta police have asked drivers to avoid Whitlock Drive near Whitlock Avenue. Officials have also cautioned drivers to avoid Stewart Avenue and Forest Lane In Dunwoody, drivers have to contend with non-working traffic lights due to power outages.
10:31 p..: North Georgia was hit to at least 6 inches of snow, but more could be on the way overnight. Counties northwest of Atlanta could see between one and three more inches overnight, according to Channel 2. Temperatures are also rising in the metro area by two degrees.
10:21 p.m.: Delta has canceled 970 flights Friday and 290 flights on Saturday. Waivers are being offered through Dec. 10 for customers.
10:20 p.m.: By 8 a.m. snow should be moving into east Georgia and out by noon, when a winter storm watch is set to expire.
10:15 p.m.: "I don't think I've seen this much snow since the blizzard of '93," Channel 2 Chief meteorologist said. Much of North Georgia saw six to 10 inches of snow, which continues to blanket the region. Burns said the Blizzard of '93 saw 30 inches of snow, but there likely won't be that much this weekend.
10:00 p.m.: More than 85,000 outages are being reported Georgia Power, with most of those affecting North Georgia and metro Atlanta. Nearly 43,000 EMC customers reported outages in North Georgia and metro Atlana.
9:39 p.m.: One person is dead after he came into contact with a live power line, Atlanta police said. Officials are investigating the scene in the 1300 block of Northwest Drive. No other details were released.
9:27 p.m.: Emory University, including Emory at Oxford College, will have a delayed opening of noon Saturday, spokeswoman Elaine Justice said in a release. Finals are also postponed for students and a revised exam date will sent to students.
8:45 p.m.: GDOT will plow I-75, I-85 and the top end of I-285 in preparation to spread bring. Motorists are urged to stay inside.
8:40 p.m.: The metro area saw at lease 6 inches of snow and other areas saw up to 10 inches, according to Channel 2 Action News.
8: 30 p.m.: Georgia Power reports 46,000 customers without power as of 8 p.m.
7:59 p.m.: Carroll County officials are warning officials to stay off the roads as leaning trees are a threat.
7:54 p.m.: Roughly 52,000 customers in north and west Georgia are without power, according to EMC. The count is up from 19,000 customers initally reported Friday afternoon.
“While crews have restored service to thousands of customers today, outage numbers have increased as another band of winter weather makes its way through the state creating new outages,” spokeswoman Terri Statham said in a release. “Numbers could increase throughout the night if conditions worsen and temperatures continue to drop and ice and heavy snow continues to accumulate on trees and power lines.”
Crews will be working to restore power to the region’s hardest hit areas, which include Carroll, Cobb, Gilmer, Haralson, Cherokee, Paulding, Pickens, Gilmer, Rabun, Towns and Union Counties.
7:47 p.m.: Downed trees and power lines have also caused road closures in parts of Cobb County.
7:45 p.m.: GDOT is advising drviers to stay off the roads as conditions have made them impassable. Crews are working to treat roadways with brine.
7:40 p.m.: Snow is coming down on parts of northern Georgia and area just north of Atlanta at a rate of one-inch per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
7 p.m.: There are more than 950 power outages reported by Georgia Power and are affecting 41,180. More than 19,500 outages are reported in metro Atlanta and more than 15, 600 outages in North Georgia by EMC customers.
6:57 p.m.: Any remnants of rain will be no more. In the next few hours snow should be the only thing falling from the sky. Overnight wet roads are expected to freeze as temperatures fall.
6:33 p.m.: Meriwether and Troup counties have been added to the winter storm warning.
6:31 p.m.: Delta flight delays are up from 375 to 625 just after 6 p.m.
6:20 p.m.: Downed trees have made metro Atlanta roads impassable. Forsyth County and Paulding County officials have urged drivers to stay off the roads. The Paulding County Sheriff's Office encouraged drivers to avoid Ga. 92 from Ga. 120 to Due West Road. Officials said "traffic is not moving." GDOT officials echoed their sentiments:
5:47 p.m.: As snow melts Saturday morning, GDOT's biggest concern is black ice. Crews will spread brine on the road starting at 7 p.m. to reduce the chance of icy conditions.
5:35 p.m.: By about 5 p.m., roughly 870 flights had been delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airpot and another 751 flights were canceled.
5 p.m.: Publix stories in some metro Atlanta and North Georgia counties are closing early due to the weather. "Due to the impact of the winter weather we are experiencing, the decision has been made to make changes to our store hours," spokeswoman Brenda Reid said.
Stores in Cobb, Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties will close between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Stores will reopen between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday. Stores as far north as Dawsonville and Gainesville are affected.
4:41 p.m.: More than 22,000 Georgia Power customers are without power, according to the company's outage map.
4:24 p.m.: The winter storm warning has been extended to noon Saturday in Rabun and Habersham counties, according to the National Weather Service.
4:22 p.m.: More than 800 flights have been delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and another 600 were canceled.
4:18 p.m.: The Georgia High School Association canceled four state championship games. The games have been rescheduled for next weekend.
4:14 p.m.: MARTA's bus, rail and mobility services are operating on a normal schedule and are expected to end services at 2 a.m. "We are closely monitoring the weather tonight and will update our website, social media sites and call center message if any service changes are made," spokeswoman Stephany Fisher told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The system earlier experienced delays on its northbound service and cautioned that trains are packed and may not be able to pick up all passengers at the stop.
3:51 p.m.: Metro Atlanta could see more snow by 8 p.m. Between 1 and 3 inches is expected, Channel 2 reported.
3:29 p.m.: Sleet has been reported in parts of Cobb County, Channel 2 Action News reported.
3:22 p.m.: DeKalb County opened three warming centers at: Fire Station 3, 100 N. Clarendon Ave., Avondale Estates, GA 30002; Fire Station 6, 2342 Flat Shoals Rd., Atlanta, GA 30301; and Fire Station 21, 1090 Crown Point Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30338. The warming centers will remain open until further notice.
2:53 p.m.: More than 19,000 Electric Membership Corporations customers are without power in North Georgia.
“While crews have restored service throughout the day, numbers may fluctuate throughout the afternoon and evening as outages continue to occur as a result of heavy snow and ice forming on power lines,” spokeswoman Terri Statham said in a news release. Customers are urged to report outages to EMC.
Follow The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for real-time updates throughout the weekend.
