After several days of extreme cold and rare snow in South and Middle Georgia, the state is starting its recovery process Thursday.
The snowfall started Tuesday evening and cloaked much of the state before turning to ice, causing havoc on roads. On Thursday, temperatures should creep above freezing for a longer period, which will help thaw those sheets of ice. But a refreeze will happen again tonight, a pattern that will repeat through the first half of the weekend before overnight temps stay above freezing.
Several school districts to the south of Atlanta remain closed or are still on a virtual learning schedule, including the largest districts in Macon and Warner Robins. Mercer University resumed regular hours, Middle Georgia State University delayed opening until 10 a.m. and Fort Valley State University continued virtual classes. Atlanta Public Schools are operating on a two-hour delay.
“Bundle up and be extra cautious if venturing out onto backroads (or roadways that remain shaded during the day) early this morning,” the National Weather Service warns.
If you’re heading to the airports, double check that your flight hasn’t been canceled. There have been some cancelations Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, though far less compared to Wednesday. Just 2% of departures and 4% of arrivals were canceled as of 8 a.m., according to Flight Aware data. Many of those were related to lingering winter storm effects on airports across the Southeast and Gulf Coast, including New Orleans.
The good news is that, after two mornings of extremely long security lines due to fans leaving town after the college football championship game and then the winter weather, wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson have been back to normal.
At Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, the runways remain closed. Airport officials said crews would reassess the condition of the runways later this morning. Columbus, Albany and Valdosta regional airports were also closed Thursday morning.
MARTA rail service is running “with 20-minute frequency on all lines,” including the red line from North Springs to the Airport station, officials said. MARTA streetcars reopened Thursday morning, while buses will be opening in phases starting at 1 p.m. Mobility service will resume at noon.
Thousands of customers remain without power across the state, with most concentrated along the Georgia coast. In the Brunswick area, the rarely seen ice storm felled trees and branches that downed dozens of power lines. Georgia Power restored service to about 20,000 customers in the region Wednesday but more than 11,000 are still without electricity there. A utility spokesperson said more than 400 linemen and about 50 tree crews were working to repair the grid.
Overall across the state, about 13,500 Georgia Power customers were still in the dark at 9:30 a.m., while just under 1,700 Georgia EMC customers were affected.
Gov. Brian Kemp said the State Capitol will “return to normal” Thursday after being closed this week. He continued urging Georgians to limit their travel in icy conditions.
In Georgia’s coastal communities, the winter storm’s grip lingered Thursday as ice and freezing temperatures affected roads and the power grid. The snow and slush that melted Wednesday afternoon froze again overnight, creating conditions that closed many bridges and left streets empty in Thursday’s morning hours. Glynn County, home to Brunswick and the Golden Isles, instituted a curfew at 6 p.m. Wednesday to keep residents off the roads. The stay-at-home order was lifted at 7 a.m. Thursday.
In Macon and its surrounding cities, the ice on most roads and interstates had melted and dried, though a handful of slick spots made travel treacherous enough that some businesses and government offices were opening later than usual.
“If you’re seeing ice now, assume there will still be ice in the morning (Thursday) and make proper decisions to keep you and your family safe,” Kemp said Wednesday evening.
High temperatures on Thursday will come close to 40 degrees. After 77 of the last 82 hours being below freezing, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Ashley Kramlich, that is very welcomed news.
Conditions gradually warm over the next several days. By Sunday, overnight temps should finally stay above freezing. On Wednesday, we could even see a 60-degree high.
― Staff writers Adam Van Brimmer, Emma Hurt and Joe Kovac Jr. contributed to this article.
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