Top East Cobb 2020 stories: Cleaning up from Hurricane Zeta

East Cobb road closures Zeta

We can’t often say a storm with hurricane-force winds comes our way, but in late October what was left of Hurricane Zeta tore through East Cobb with a vengeance, downing trees and power lines and shutting down major roads, in some cases for a few days.

The damage prompted the cancellation of schools for a day and many people were also left without power for days.

Some residents reported extensive damage to their homes, including a woman living in a Northeast Cobb neighborhood who said a large tree smashed through and totaled her residence.

No serious injuries were reported in the community, but the storm also uprooted trees at the Mt. Bethel cemetery on Johnson Ferry Road, causing damage to some gravestones.

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

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Freeze warning issued for Cobb as cooler weather moves in

Cobb freeze warning, East Cobb Park

It was sunny and just around 60 degrees Tuesday afternoon at East Cobb Park when we stopped by for a little break, but with bristling winds that are going to make the next couple of nights seem colder than what’s in the forecast.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued a freeze warning for Cobb County and much of North Georgia from midnight to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Temperatures will be dipping to just around the freezing mark tonight and overnight, with winds gusting as much as 20 mph in some places.

A freeze warning means plants and pets should be brought in from the cold, and to prevent bursting of outdoor water pipes, they should be wrapped or allowed to drip slowly. In-ground sprinkler systems also should be wrapped or brought inside.

The winds will be calming down after that and dry, sunny weather will resume for the rest of the week.

Wednesday and Thursday will be much like Tuesday, sunny and in the high 50s to near 60 during the day, and into the 30s at night.

Weekend weather will be warmer, with sunny skies and high temperatures Friday-Saturday-Sunday in the high 60s and near 70, and evening temperatures falling into the 40s and low 50s.

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Northeast Cobb home condemned after being smashed by tree

Northeast Cobb home condemned

More stunning devastation of Thursday’s storms from Hurricane Zeta:

Rachel Curry sent these photos of a tree that demolished two-thirds of her Northeast Cobb home, which has been condemned.

She said the 16,000-pound tree made a direct hit on the structure around 4:30 a.m. :

“The interior is crushed sheetrock, fallen attic rafters, and insulation everywhere along with a crack in the main floor joist. We are just grateful to be safe.”

She and her family are staying for now in a hotel with their pets, and Curry said an insurance adjustor is coming Tuesday to see if the house will have to be totalled.

Northeast Cobb home condemned

Northeast Cobb home condemned

Northeast Cobb home condemned

Earlier on Saturday we heard from Tracy Cullo, a homeowner in the Mountain Creek neighborhood, and whose house was also hit by a tree, barely avoiding slamming into one of her daughters’ bedrooms.

Everyone is safe there too.

Send us information about conditions in your area, and photos to share, if it’s safe for you to do so: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

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Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged by uprooted trees

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

A reader let us know about two trees at the Mt. Bethel church cemetery that were uprooted during the Zeta storm Thursday, and damaged some graves there.

We took a look on Friday, and it was a stunning sight—a massive tree was pulled out of the ground, toppled over and struck a number of markers. A smaller tree also caused extensive damage.

The cemetery is located on Johnson Ferry Road, just above Lower Roswell Road, and between a Zaxby’s and the Northside medical building.

That’s near where the second location of the church, which dates back to the 1830s, once stood. The cemetery along Johnson Ferry opened in 1870, when the church moved to two acres donated by a nearby farmer.

The original cemetery still exists at the original church site on Richmond Hill Road, off Lower Roswell Road and east of Johnson Ferry, going back to the 1840s.

Some of the markers damaged at the Johnson Ferry cemetery are so old that there’s nothing legible on them. Family names we could make out include Bloodworth, Darnell and Tillerson.

Both Mt. Bethel cemeteries are listed in a catalog of more than 200 historical cemeteries by the Cobb Genealogical Society.

We’re contacting the Cobb Cemetery Preservation Commission about the storm damage.

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

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East Cobb road closures, traffic updates in the wake of Zeta

East Cobb road closures Zeta

SATURDAY UPDATE:

Several thousand electric customers in Cobb remain with power, and a number of roads are still closed due to downed trees and power lines.

On Saturday afternoon Sewell Mill Road was closed off at Benthill Drive, also close to Pine Road, which can be used as an alternate.

A little further up in the Mountain Creek neighborhood of East Cobb, reader Tracy Cullo sent in photos of her house getting hit by trees early Thursday morning.

She reports that everyone is safe; the tree landed on a roof and nearly missed one of her daughter’s bedroom windows by six inches.

Send us information about conditions in your area, and photos to share, if it’s safe for you to do so: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Earlier Thursday we got a reader photo of a downed utility pole and trees across Sewell Mill Road.

As the sun came out Thursday afternoon, the same vicinity of Sewell Mill, on either side of Bill Murdock Road, had been blocked off.

There are downed power lines amid the trees, and there was no sign of any work crews that had arrived to repair the damage.

We took the photo above at the intersection of Sewell Mill and Mooregate Drive, the entrance to The Oaks subdivision, and it was one of many areas closed off to traffic and likely will be into Friday.

We drove around some other areas of East Cobb and can report that Robinson Road is closed at Fox Hollow Parkway, near Indian Hills, as Cobb DOT crews are on the job cleaning up a significant amount of downed trees and electrical crews are repairing power lines.

A bit west of that, also along Robinson Road, tree damage was serious at Fullers Park Drive, and the westbound stop sign also had been blown down.

Robinson Road at Fullers Park Drive

We also saw that Old Sewell Road is closed off at Brookcrest Drive, at the southern entrance to the Gant Quarters subdivision.

We’ll be adding more road closures here as we get them; as of 4 p.m. Cobb DOT hadn’t issued a specific list.

Period updates by Cobb government are being provided on the county website.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, many, many traffic lights are still out in East Cobb, including at major intersections, creating lengthy bottlenecks.

If you come to an intersection without a functioning traffic signal, treat it as a four-way stop.

Roswell E Piedmont no lights

The wind and rain that swept through East Cobb early Thursday morning from Hurricane Zeta left massive amounts of tree damage, with limbs, leaves, pine straw and other debris strewn about the area.

At 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the Cobb County School District announced that all Friday classes were canceled, but extracurricular activities would go on depending on whether a school has power.

More than a million metro Atlanta electricity customers lost their power during the storm, and quite a number of them in Cobb are still without power.

Cobb EMC reported that as of 4 p.m. Thursday, 50,000 of its customers are without power, and it has restored service to 42,000 customers.

If you’re a Cobb EMC customer, here’s an outage map that shows several thousand customers also without power, but no estimates are available yet.

Georgia Power also is reporting customers without electricity in East Cobb and has an outage map and the estimated number of customers without electricity.

Octavia Lane tree 1

Octavia Lane tree 2

Also be on the lookout for damage on side and neighborhood streets, which figure to be the last to be cleaned up by work crews.

Here’s a tree nearly pulled out of the ground in the front yard of a home on Octavia Lane at Octavia Circle, between Roswell and Sewell Mill Roads and west of Old Canton Road.

Reader Ann Maxwell sent in the photo below of some new visitors to her neighbor’s back yard in the Murdock Road area, after the storm knocked down a fence.

Foxes at Murdock

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Cleanup begins as East Cobb gets clobbered by Hurricane Zeta

East Cobb clobbered Hurricane Zeta

Jeff Sheehan, an East Cobb marketing and social media pro, took this photo of a downed utility pole and trees on Sewell Mill Road Thursday morning, as high winds brought down power lines, trees and other debris all over metro Atlanta.

Cobb DOT is saying that downed trees and power lines are at more than 350 locations in the county, and they’re asking people not to travel unless its necessary as crews work to clear the roads.

Traffic lights are out in many places, and hundreds of thousands of Cobb and metro Atlanta residents are without power, affecting schools, businesses and other activities.

Sustained winds of 40-50 mph swept through the area in the early-morning hours, just before daybreak, along with rain showers, the remnants of Hurricane Zeta, which hit the Louisiana Gulf Coast Wednesday afternoon.

Cobb government offices and services began on a delayed schedule at 10 a.m., including early voting that continues through Friday. But those openings depend on whether there’s power at a location, and here’s the notice we’re getting now:

Cobb Elections currently has workers surveying their 11 advance voting locations to see which ones may have power or internet issues. They will open sites that are available as close to 10 a.m. as possible. Check cobbelections.org and the wait times list to see which sites are available. Open sites will have times listed, sites not available will be in gray.

Cobb libraries are closed for the rest of Thursday, and those branches that have reopened since July will resume their normal operating hours on Friday.

Police, fire and emergency services, Cobb DOT and other crews are responding to hundreds of calls for cleanup. Here’s the county update around 10 a.m.:

From Cobb DOT:
344 tree down calls
260 traffic signals out or damaged
125 roads remain closed

From Cobb Fire and Emergency Services:
15 rescue calls – 13 to rescue people from houses hit by trees, 2 in cars hit by trees
2 people transported to the hospital with injuries

We don’t have any specifics on roads yet but will update here; Sheehan said there’s widespread debris like the photo above where he’s ventured out in East Cobb.

At 11:45 a.m., Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said more than 280 homes have been struck by falling trees.

Only essential county personnel are reporting to work today, he said, and he asked Cobb residents to consider Thursday a “snow day.”

“It’s important right now that you take all the necessary precautions,” he said in a video message. “Stay home, and if you are home and need our help we can respond.”

Periodical updates are being provided on the county website.

As for power outages, here’s an outage map from Georgia Power showing where power is still out, and the estimated number of customers without electricity.

Several thousand East Cobb customers of Georgia Power area still without electricity as of 11 a.m., but there aren’t any estimates being provided as of now for when power may be restored to those areas.

If you’re a Cobb EMC customer, here’s an outage map that shows several thousand customers also without power, but no estimates are available yet.

Send us information about conditions in your area, and photos to share, if it’s safe for you to do so: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

 

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East Cobb under flash flood warning through early Sunday morning

The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued a flash flood warning that includes East Cobb through 1:30 a.m. Sunday.East Cobb flash flood warning

The warning area includes north Fulton, most of the city of Atlanta, DeKalb County and part of south Gwinnett.

Nearly three inches of rain fell in metro Atlanta Saturday afternoon, and low-lying areas of of warning area—especially along the Chattahoochee River and Sope Creek in East Cobb—is susceptible to flooding.

Cobb County government some areas already are flooding, but we don’t have any specific roads as of yet, beyond the East-West Connector in South Cobb.

It doesn’t take much rain for some roads in East Cobb to contain hazardous levels of water; two weeks ago a similar amount of rainfall closed Columns Drive for a while.

The flooding conditions and potential for more flooding will extend into Sunday, with more rain expected.

Drivers are advised not to drive through flooded roads, but should turn around.

The chance of rain in the East Cobb area is 20 percent on Sunday, with patchy fog during the day and the skies clearing by the evening.

 

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Cobb flooding includes Columns Drive and areas along Chattahoochee

Columns Drive flooding

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR NEWS ABOUT RAIN AND FLOODING ON COLUMNS DRIVE ON SEPT. 8, 2021, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

 

ORIGINAL REPORT, OCT. 11, 2020:

Information and photo above of Columns Drive from Cobb County government at 1:32 p.m.:

Heavy rain caused by the remnants of Hurricane Delta has caused flooding in various parts of Cobb County.

Cobb DOT is coordinating with Cobb Police and Fire to close off roadways that are still water-covered and hazardous.

Up to four inches of rain has fallen on parts of the county, with the worst areas around the Chattahoochee River. Roads closed include Cochise Drive, Woodland Brook, and Columns Drive. Other roadways by the river and Cobb creeks could also be hazardous.

Cobb County remains under a Flash Flood Watch and several areas including neighborhoods around the Chattahoochee River and Nickajack Creek remain under a Flash Flood Warning.

Avoid travel in these areas if possible.

Cobb DOT crews responded to 23 calls overnight and into the morning, including five trees blocking roadways.

Cobb Fire rescued several people from cars that had been submerged in floodwaters.

Crews will work with the school district to make sure routes are accessible to buses in the morning.

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PHOTOS: Enjoying a sunny end to summer at East Cobb Park

East Cobb Park summer end

After a heavy rains temporarily closed down East Cobb Park last week, the park was a very popular place to be on Sunday.

Sunny skies and temperatures near 70 degrees marked the final weekend of the summer, and that weather will continue into Tuesday, when fall begins.

The autumnal equinox is scheduled for around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The forecast calls for highs in the low 70s and lows in the high 50s and low 60s for most of the week, with rain moving in from Wednesday through Saturday.

The first full week of fall, starting a week from today, is expected to be like it is now: sunny and warm, up to the high 70 during the day.

In addition to the recreational and sporting activities in the quad, there was also live music at the East Cobb Park concert shell, and a Rosh Hashanah celebration along the banks of Sewell Mill Creek.

East Cobb Park summer end

East Cobb Park summer end

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East Cobb weather update: Parks closed, roads affected by flooding

Cobb parks roads closed flooding

This just in from Cobb County government, related to flooding that continues to wreak havoc in East Cobb and elsewhere:

East Cobb Park, Fullers Park, Noonday Creek Park, and the Sweat Mountain Dog Park will be closed until the waters recede and crews can clean up and repair any damage.
The Sweat Mountain Park will remain closed until a large tree can be removed.

The National Weather Service issued Flash Flood Warnings for the Noonday Creek (Kennesaw), Nickajack Creek (Mableton), Sope Creek (Marietta), and the Chattahoochee River. Most of the heavy rain has moved out of Cobb County but the flooding could persist throughout the day.

Motorists are urged to use caution and avoid water-covered streets. Please be careful around county crews cleaning up the damage.

This is a partial list of roads and locations where DOT crews have worked this morning:
Bishop Lake Road
Sybil Drive
Wade Green Road
Milford Chase Road
Robinson Road
Creekwood Trail
Gordon Hills Drive
Holt Road at Wheeler High
Moon Road
Fern Valley Drive
Hurt Road at Concord
Custer Lake Drive
Brookside Drive near Oakdale
Paper Mill Road at Terrell Mill
Barber Road at S Cobb Drive 
Burnt Hickory at Mt Calvary
Turner Road at Bells Ferry
Fisher Drive off Hurt Road
Wayward Drive off Resin Rd
Lakeland Drive
Friendship Church Road
Autumn Ridge Road
Prado Lane at Barrett Parkway
White Road at Riverside
Hembree Road
Mt. Calvary Road
John Ward Road
Bob Cox Road
Midway Road

 

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Cobb under flash flood warning; Noonday, Sope Creek areas affected

Cobb flash flood warning

Cobb County government sent out a message around 4 a.m. Thursday that Cobb County is now under a flash flood warning until 9:45 a.m. today, and that some areas are already becoming affected by flooding.

This will be a problem that will last all day and into Friday, and Noonday Creek and Sope Creek are among those pointed out in this morning’s message.

Some other trouble areas for flooding already reported this morning include Hembree Road in East Cobb. At least a couple of inches of rain have fallen in the county already as what’s left of Hurricane Sally moves through Georgia.

The county said trees are down and accidents are being reported around the county. There haven’t been any reports of electrical power outages thus far.

UPDATED: East Cobb Park, Fullers Park, Noonday Creek Park and the Sweat Mountain Dog Park have been closed until further notice due to flooding.

The City of Roswell sent out a message that Willeo Road is closed at the Cobb County line to Azalea Drive, an area that runs along the Chattahoochee River.

If you have any reports of flooding, downed trees and power lines, accidents and other information about today’s weather, including photos to share, let us know: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

A flash flood watch remains in effect for Cobb and much of Georgia until Friday at 8 a.m.

 

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Flash flood watch issued for Cobb through Friday morning

Cobb flash flood watch

Cobb County is included in a flash flood watch starting 2 p.m. Wednesday and continuing through 8 a.m. Friday due to storms and heavy rains from Hurricane Sally.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued the watch for most of north and central Georgia, and up to 5 or 6 six inches of rain could be expected over the next few days.

During a flash flood watch, low-lying areas and areas around rivers, creeks, streams, lakes and ponds are susceptible to flooding.

The forecast for metro Atlanta includes a 100 percent chance of rain starting at noon Wednesday and continuing until late Thursday night.

Hurricane Sally struck landfall early Wednesday along the Alabama Gulf Coast as a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 105 mph.

The storm is causing what local officials Alabama are calling “life-threatening” flooding, along with extensive tree damage.

Some weather estimates have that area getting 30 or so inches of rain.

The remnants of Sally were soaking lower Alabama Wednesday morning, and the path of the storm is expected to continue up through the Carolinas after reaching Georgia.

The rain in Cobb County is expected to taper off on Friday, with a 30 percent chance during the day and 20 percent on Saturday.

We probably won’t see the sun until Sunday.

Temperatures are cooling off too, with highs on the low 70s Wednesday and likewise through the rest of the week.

 

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Cobb County included in flash flood watch through Monday morning

Cobb flash flood watch

Today’s weather won’t be as severe as last weekend, but it’s still going to be wet.

Cobb County is included in a flash flood watch that began at 11 a.m. Sunday and continues until 8 a.m. Monday.

We got rain earlier this morning and more will be on the way Sunday afternoon, with around two inches or so expected as the storm system makes its way through Georgia.

In a flash flood watch, conditions exist for flash flooding to occur, and includes the possibility of overflowing waterways and roads.

In this current watch, the National Weather Service in Atlanta is forecasting that any flooding is likely to be localized.

There is a 100 percent chance of rain for the rest of Sunday, with highs in the mid 50s. More rain is in the forecast for Monday, an 80 percent chance in our area, with highs in the high 60s.

Monday night will be clear but colder, with lows in the high 40s.

Sun will return on Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the low 70s, with more rain expected later in the week.

 

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Weather Update: Worst of deadly storms bypass Cobb County

We got very heavy rains overnight but the early indications are that the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that roared through Georgia overnight spared Cobb County.

Several people were killed in Murray County in northwest Georgia, and a man in Cartersville died when a tree fell on his house, according to WSB-TV.

Tornadoes also reportedly touched down in Upson County, in central Georgia. Thus far the National Weather Service has not confirmed when and where tornadoes may have touched down.

But Cobb County and most of Georgia got heavy rains overnight, and high winds brought down trees.

On Monday morning, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency due to the storms.

In our area, the heaviest period of rainfall occurred around 2:30 a.m., after a severe thunderstorm watch, then warning were issued.

A tornado watch in Cobb expired at 7 a.m. Monday.

Cobb government said around 10 a.m. Monday that there are reports of trees down in the county, with work crews repairing electricity poles due to downed trees in the Kennesaw are.

For the moment there are no reports of flooding or impassable roads in the county, and there were few power outages.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is asking anyone with property damage from the storms to take a photo and fill out and submit a form at this link.

Areas of southeast Georgia remain under a tornado watch Monday morning.

 

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Cobb in high-risk area for severe weather, tornadoes

UPDATED, MONDAY a.m: We dodged the worst of the storms, which have killed at least six people in Georgia.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta is urging citizens across much of Georgia to prepare for extremely severe storms Sunday night and into Monday morning.

Shortly before 5 p.m Sunday, the NWS elevated most of western and central Georgia, including Cobb County, into its highest-risk category for tornadoes.

The NWS is saying that a storm system coming into the state after 8 p.m. Sunday includes the potential for tornadoes, some of which could be especially strong (EF2+, with possible winds of around 70 mph).

That same portion of Georgia also is at high risk for damaging high winds. The rest of Georgia is at an elevated risk for high winds, according to the NWS forecast.

The Level 4 risk (on a scale of 1 to 5) that includes Cobb also includes the possibility of flash flooding and hail.

The chance of rain—up to an inch in some places—in the Cobb area Sunday night is 100 percent, with severe thunderstorms and winds gusting as high as 30 mph.

The low overnight Sunday into Monday morning will be around 60.

Citizens are encouraged to prepare for more severe conditions, and to move to safety in interior rooms or hallways if need be. They should also take other emergency precautions, including flashlights and getting around should electrical power is knocked out or their homes are damaged.

They’re also asked to turn off do not disturb settings on phones and other devices in order to receive weather alerts.

On Monday, there’s a 30 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms before 8 a.m. Sun is expected with a high will be around 70, winds will remain high, with gusts possibly up to 30 mph.

Monday night will be colder, with lows in the mid 40s. Tuesday also will be sunny, with highs around 70. A 40 percent chance of rain is expected Tuesday night.

 

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Cobb included in flash flood watch until Thursday afternoon

Cobb flash flood watch

After a brief respite from the rain on Tuesday, wet weather has returned to most of Georgia, and the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch that includes Cobb County.

The watch began Wednesday morning and continues until 1 p.m. Thursday. A watch means that conditions are favorable for flash flooding to occur, especially around rivers, streams and creeks.

The watch zone is generally below Interstate 20 but also includes metro Atlanta.

The NWS office in Atlanta reported that between 1-2 inches had fallen in central Georgia Wednesday morning, and that another 1.5 to 3 inches could fall in the watch area by Thursday afternoon.

The chance of rain in Cobb is 90 percent for the rest of Wednesday and Thursday morning, reducing to 20 percent by Thursday night.

Highs Wednesday will be near 60, with lows Wednesday night dropping to the high 40s. Thursday’s highs will be in the low 50s and Thursday night’s low around 40.

Friday will be sunny and clear with a high in the low 50s, and the weekend will be the same, with Sunday’s high in the low 60s.

Low temperatures Friday and Saturday will be around freezing.

 

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A day to enjoy the sun—while it lasts—at Sandy Plains Park

Sandy Plains Park

A good number of youngsters were loosening up for the upcoming baseball season at Sandy Plains Park on Saturday with parents and coaches.

There also were other kids enjoying the playground.

After a rainy and cold week in East Cobb, the sun and warm was out for only a day. Sunday will be just as warm, with highs in the mid-50s, but it will be overcast.

That’s foreshadowing more wet weather to come at the start of the week, as Cobb students head back to school after winter break.

Monday will be wet and cold, with highs around 50, and Tuesday and Wednesday will be warmer, with highs in the 50s and 60s, but rain will remain in the forecast.

Thursday through the following Monday will feature sun, but high temperatures may not get out of the 40s as the calendar flips over into March.

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East Cobb This Week

 

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Winter weather prompts Cobb schools to cancel activities through Friday noon

The Cobb County School District doesn’t have classes this week due to the winter break, but extracurricular activities have been cancelled Friday until noon due to the possibility of icy weather overnight.
Campbell High School lockdown

CCSD employees who are not on winter break do not have to report to work until noon Friday.

Activities taking place this week involve athletics, winter camps and clubs at some schools. Events scheduled after noon on Friday will be held.

Johnson Ferry Christian Academy announced late Thursday afternoon that all Friday classes and after-school activities are cancelled.

The Thursday night forecast called for continuing rain and low temperatures around or below freezing.

Cobb is included in a special advisory issued by the National Weather Service in Atlanta that warns about the possibility of black ice on the roads overnight.

Cobb County government issued the following message about 3:45 p.m. Thursday:

With wet roads, soaked soil, and diving temperatures, the National Weather Service is warning of a “higher than normal” chance of black ice overnight and during the Friday AM rush hour. Cobb DOT has crews on standby and trucks loaded to handle any calls that come in. Report dangerous situations to 911, and use extreme caution especially when driving in the dark.

The county also announced that MUST Ministries in Marietta will open its Loaves & Fishes kitchen (55 Elizabeth Church Road, Marietta) at 8 p.m. Thursday for women and children seeking shelter. Men will be referred to the nearby Extension.

Icy and snowy advisories were issued earlier for the mountains of North Georgia.

Heavy rains have poured all day on Thursday in Cobb and metro Atlanta. By mid-afternoon, the temperature reached 40, and the rain is forecast to end by Thursday night.

But there’s a 50 percent chance of rain by early evening Thursday, and overnight lows Thursday and into Friday could dip down to 30 or lower.

The sun is forecast to arrive by mid-morning Friday, but it will be cold all day, with highs only in the mid-40s.

Friday night lows will be even colder, in the mid-20s, before a sunny Saturday, with highs expected in the mid 50s.

Sunday also will be in the mid-50s and partly cloudy, before the rain returns Monday and Tuesday to greet students and teachers as they return to school.

 

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Cobb County in flash flood watch through Tuesday evening

More soggy news from the National Weather Service, which has issued another flash flood watch Monday afternoon to include Cobb County through Tuesday evening.

We’re expecting between 2-4 inches that started late Monday afternoon, and the rains aren’t expected to let up for the next day or so.

There’s a 100 percent chance of rain Monday night, and a 90 percent chance through most of the day Tuesday. The chance of rain is expected to taper off to a 60 percent chance Tuesday night, and up to 70 percent again on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

The watch area covers most of north Georgia, which was drenched by rain last week that led to flooding in some parts, including a few streets in East Cobb, as well as East Cobb Park, Sandy Plains Park and Noonday Creek Park. A part of Keheley Road remains closed north of Shallowford Road.

Tuesday’s high temperature is expected to be in the mid 50s, with lows around the same. The highs for Wednesday is forecast for the mid 60s, and likewise for Thursday.

Sunny weather is expected by Friday, but it’s going to get colder, only into the high 40s.

Cobb Flash Flood Watch

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Snow comes to East Cobb; winter weather advisory extended Saturday

East Cobb snow

By mid-morning Saturday, snow was falling around East Cobb and a winter weather advisory issued for most of North Georgia was extended to later this afternoon.

A couple of inches have fallen in the mountains, with some early reports of snow in metro Atlanta indicate around an inch or less. In some areas the snow is between an inch or two.

Some of it is sticking, as temperatures hover around freezing, but highs are expected to reach into the high 40s later today.

The National Weather Service has extended a winter weather advisory from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Cobb County government reported around 10 a.m. that some crews are treating major roads and that they are passable, but some residential streets may not be.

Drivers are urged to exercise caution when traveling and have been encouraged to avoid getting out on the roads if possible.

Although the rain may melt some of the snow, sub-freezing temperatures are expected tonight.

Cobb libraries that were scheduled to open at 10 a.m. Saturday will have a delayed opening, until noon.

Cobb Schools said earlier this morning that all scheduled Saturday extracurricular activities are still slated to go on, but shortly after noon some cancellations were reported.

That includes the Region 6-6A girls and boys basketball tournament at Sprayberry High School.

The Sweetheart Dance scheduled for Saturday night at Sope Creek Elementary School also has been called off.

St. Andrew UMC will have its Valentine’s Dinner Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

The Walker School has cancelled all Saturday activities.

Some businesses around East Cobb posting on social media said they are open, at least for now, but others are closed or will be closing.

Kids Kuts Salon closed around noon for the rest of Saturday, as did Code Ninjas East Cobb.

Peace Love and Pizza in East Cobb also is closed, and will reopen at noon Sunday.

GTC Merchants Walk Cinema was closed Saturday morning and is posting updates on its Facebook page.

East Cobb Ace Hardware is closing at 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Peachtree Curling Club is closed Saturday.

The McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA and Northeast Cobb YMCA closed at 10:30 Saturday morning and cancelled all activities for the rest of Saturday.

Eastside Baptist Church will have one joint worship service Sunday, at 11 a.m., due to the weather, and will have no LifeGroups meeting.

Transfiguration Catholic Church announced that Perpetual Adoration will be closed for the rest of Saturday, and could reopen after the 5 p.m. Mass depending on road conditions.

We will be updating this post during the day.

If you have news to report of openings/closings, roads affected by the weather or photos to share, please e-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

Photos from Sarah Wyeth in the Lake Fjord neighborhood:

Lake Fjord snow

Lake Fjord snow

Lake Fjord snow

And these are from reader Geoffrey Herrera in the Rivermill neighborhood:

East Cobb snow, readers photos

East Cobb snow, readers photos

The snow comes after warmer weather brought heavy rains and flooding and a tornado watch to metro Atlanta earlier this week.

Sunday is expected to be sunny with highs in the low 50s, but rain is forecast to move in at the start of next week.

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