Cobb is included in a tornado watch issued by the National Weather Service until 4 a.m. Tuesday. A second storm system with a tornado is moving out of Alabama. At 10:30 p.m., a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for all of Cobb County until 11:15 p.m. More storms were moving through counties in western Georgia, where tornado warnings had been in effect.
UPDATED, 5:58 P.M:
The Cobb County School District announced shortly before 5 p.m. today that all school-related activities tonight are cancelled.
ORIGINAL POST, 2:04 P.M.:
The National Weather Service has included Cobb and metro Atlanta in a severe weather forecast for this afternoon and evening that includes the possibilities of thunderstorms, high winds, hail and tornadoes.
The threat is greatest between 3 p.m. and midnight, according to the National Weather Service forecast, which includes much of north Georgia.
Here’s more from what the NWS released in its revised projections around 1:30 this afternoon:
Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will develop this afternoon, especially south of I-20. Some of these storms could be strong to severe with large hail and brief gusty winds the primary threat, along with heavy rain.
Later this afternoon through this evening, a more organized line of severe thunderstorms will move from Alabama into northwest and west-central Georgia. It is along and ahead of this line where all modes of severe weather exist, including tornadoes, large hail potentially greater than 2 inches, and damaging winds in excess of 70 MPH. Heavy rainfall and frequent lightning will also occur. Expect the potential for severe weather to be its highest between 5 PM and 2 AM Tuesday morning.
This map was released around 2:20 p.m. today:
We’re also seeing some school districts in west Georgia begin to cancel at least after-school activities, due to the weather threat, but haven’t seen anything yet for Cobb. We’ll update that here when we get more information.
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NWS low temperature projections Friday night and early Saturday morning for north Georgia.
The National Weather Service office in Atlanta has issued a freeze watch from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday for several counties in northwest Georgia, including Cobb.
The watch is part of a larger hazardous weather outlook for most of the weekend in north and central Georgia.
Mild but rainy weather this week helped trees and other vegetation that have been blooming.
The sun will be out for the weekend, but temperatures are forecast to be around freezing for the next few nights.
The possibility of freezing temperatures Sunday and Monday nights are also included in the hazardous weather outlook.
After temperatures Friday ranged into the high 50s, Saturday, Sunday and Monday daytime weather will be warmer, in the low-to-mid 60s. Lows will fall back into the 30s and 40s for most of the coming week.
Wind gusts that were as high as 20 mph today will continue through the weekend, and are expected to be calm by the start of the week. Stronger winds are expected in the mountainous areas of northeast Georgia.
As the work week begins, cloudy skies and rain will return to metro Atlanta, with a 50 percent chance of showers Monday night, and a 30 percent chance on Tuesday night.
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The rain that began Friday night is not expected to let up for most of the weekend, and as a result Cobb County and much of metro Atlanta are under a flood watch.
The watch began at 7 a.m. today and continues through 7 p.m. Sunday, with Cobb possibly getting between 2-4 inches of rain.
The usual areas in East Cobb that are prone to flooding—along the Chattahoochee River and Sope Creek, as well as the Noonday Creek area—are susceptible to this weather pattern, which includes the possibility of thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service issued the watch for most of north and central Georgia, from a line north of Columbus to Griffin to Athens.
In addition to the rain, dense and heavy fog is expected to linger in the watch area throughout this afternoon, and visibility could be reduced between a quarter to a half-mile.
The chance of rain in East Cobb is 50 percent today and 80 percent tonight, with rain and patchy fog returning overnight. Highs are expected in the low 60s, with lows in the same range.
On Sunday, the chance of rain is 90 percent, with fog returning during the day and temperatures reaching the high 60s. The lows Sunday are expected to be in the high 50s as a high chance of rain continues.
The chance of rain continues into the start of the week, but a rainy and overcast week is expected as warm temperatures continue.
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The thunderstorms that have moved through western Georgia this morning were spreading into metro Atlanta, and Cobb County is included in a hazardous weather outlook that will be in effect for most of today.
At 10:30 a.m. the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City issued the outlook, which includes most of metro Atlanta and a good portion of north and central Georgia.
The outlook includes information about potential severe weather, including thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadoes.
Tornado watches and warnings have been in effect in various areas of Georgia this morning. High winds and storms have been reported in Bremen, as that weather system headed east toward metro Atlanta.
The NWS said that in the outlook area, an isolated severe storm is possible, as are high winds and isolated tornadoes.
Between an inch and two inches of rain also is expected to fall, causing the possibility of flooding in some areas.
Thursday and Friday will see sunshine, but a rainy weekend is in the forecast.
This week is Weather Preparedness Month in Georgia. A scheduled statewide tornado drill scheduled for close to noon today has been postponed to Friday because of the current weather conditions.
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Sunshine helped melt much of the snow, including at East Cobb Park, but icy roads are expected to freeze over again Thursday night. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
The word’s just come down that for the third day in a row, Cobb schools will be closed on Friday.
The Cobb County School District cited “hazardous road and travel conditions throughout the county,” and that includes a number of areas of East Cobb.
The major roads are clear for the most part, but along roads without the direct sunshine that helped the melting process today, there’s still a lot of ice and slush. That’s expected to freeze over again tonight as temperatures drop down into the mid-to-low 20s.
When we went out earlier this afternoon, we noticed this too, especially along Robinson Road near Fullers Park, and along Robinson on either side of Old Canton Road.
That’s one of a couple dozen or so icy patches in East Cobb that remain treacherous. Earlier today, some social media postings included a lot of ice on Hembree Road near Pope High School, and around Walton High School.
Sandy Plains Road at Wigley Road and north on Wigley Road;
Several areas along Mabry Road;
Ebenezer Road;
Several spots along Bells Ferry Road;
Barnes Mill Road;
Roswell Road near Barnes Mill;
Post Oak Tritt near Johnson Ferry Road;
Shallowford Road east of Johnson Ferry;
Johnson Ferry Road at Oak Drive;
Sewell Mill Road near Old Canton Road;
Johnson Ferry at the Chattahoochee River;
Several areas along Powers Ferry Road.
Cobb County government will have normal working hours on Friday.
Mt. Bethel Christian Academy will be holding classes as normally scheduled on Friday.
The Walker School also announced it would be trying to make a go of classes on Friday, tweeting out this message not long after the Cobb announcement:
Due to lingering conditions from this week’s winter weather, we will have a delayed school start time of 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 19. Carpool will begin in all divisions at 10 a.m. Middle & Upper School students will report to their E block class at 10:35 a.m.
On Friday, warmer weather is expected to stick around longer, with highs into the low 50s and lows in the high 20s, with the chance of ice returning again Friday night.
It’s going to get gradually warmer over the weekend, into the low 60s by Sunday.
It’s also expected to be mostly sunny, with partly cloudy skies on Sunday and rain on Monday.
Send us your weather news and photos, if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them here.
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As temperatures climbed toward freezing this morning, Cobb County government offices and libraries opened, and road clean-up continued, aided by some very welcome sunshine.
Late last night, Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said that around 200 accident calls were reported to county 911 dispatchers within the first 24 hours of the storm, including 15 stranded motorists, 10 hit-and-run incidents and two needing fire extrication from their vehicles.
No serious injuries have been reported, but the roads are still icy and slushy in some places.
Earlier this morning Cobb DOT said there were 50 reports of black ice throughout the county overnight:
Most major roads in good shape but side streets, especially those in shade, remain problematic. Be safe if you are venturing out. Fortunately traffic is light.
If you’re a CobbLinc rider, local and paratransit service began at noon, but XPress bus services are cancelled today.
Temperatures could reach the high 30s or even 40 by mid afternoon, with lows tonight and overnight falling back into the mid-to-low 20s.
Then it’s getting warmer starting Friday, and for most of next week. Friday’s highs could get into the low 50s and by Sunday we could get into the high 60s.
We a few updates about openings, closings, cancellations and postponements from East Cobb businesses, faith communities and other organizations beyond what was posted on the link just above, but we’ll keep adding to this list below during the afternoon.
We’ll also update with news about whether Cobb schools will have classes Friday. They’re closed again today, and today’s school board meetings have been postponed to next Thursday.
We’ll also be catching up with some other news that we’ve been wanting to post here the last couple days—and there’s a lot going on to share in East Cobb—starting later today and tomorrow as well.
Thursday openings
Transfiguration Catholic Church
XenGo Fusion Kitchen & Sushi
The Avenue East Cobb
Ted’s Montana Grill
Johnny’s New York Pizza
Book Exchange
St. Andrew UMC, at 1 p.m.
Once and Again Books
The Art Place-Mountain View, at 1 p.m.
East Cobb and NE Cobb YMCA open until 7 p.m.
Thursday closings/cancellations
Tonight’s Walton PTSA open house and general meeting
All practices/activities for East Marietta Basketball
The Cobb Watershed Stewardship program’s Privet Pull Mob for this afternoon at Noonday Creek Park
Send your weather news and photos and we’ll post it here: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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Many areas of East Cobb got a half-inch to an inch of snow Tuesday; temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until Thursday.
Here’s your mid-day Wednesday Cobb winter weather update, and we’ll keep adding more information as we get it the rest of the afternoon:
Cobb County government offices will be closed all day today because of the icy road conditions, and with temperatures not expected to rise out of the 20s.
That includes courts, public libraries and all CobbLinc bus service. Late last night county officials had indicated a delayed starting time of 10 a.m., but road conditions have made it hazardous to travel, as ice is packed under snow.
Accidents are taking place in many areas; Marietta Police said this morning that at least 15 accidents have taken place in the city, and that number is expected to climb. There’s no word yet on major accidents in the East Cobb area, but we will update any information that becomes available.
Any roads with melting ice are expected to refreeze tonight, and crews will be back out treating major routes. The Cobb Commute link has updates on roads that have been treated.
Cobb government sent out this message via social media earlier this morning:
Cobb DOT crews spent the night treating roadways and crews continue to work the roads, now on their second run over their countywide routes. But as the snowfall moves out, the number of accidents in the county has increased, with police reporting some hills and bridges impassable.
County officials will get more updates from the DOT crews and make a determination later today when to resume operations.
After Tuesday’s snow, temperatures fell dramatically below freezing. Cobb DOT had work crews out all night and into the morning, but because of icy conditions and sub-freezing temperatures into Thursday afternoon, motorists are advised not to get out on to the roads unless they have to.
As of 11 a.m. Cobb schools have not communicated any new information, including whether there will be classes on Thursday.
As of this writing the temperatures are in the mid teens in East Cobb, with highs projected only in the low to mid-20s. Lows tonight are forecast to fall back into the teens, with highs in the 40s expected on Thursday, but not until the afternoon.
East Cobb News will continue to update this post during the day with the latest information about closures, cancellations, postponements and other weather-related news.
Send your weather news, and photos if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them.
What follows below are the latest closings/delayed openings/cancellations/postponements from this morning, not including those we posted last night on the link above:
Closings
Mass and all activities at Holy Family Catholic Church
Dog City Bakery
Haven, The Dog Spot
Tritt Animal Hospital
Rescued Too
Johnny’s New York Pizza
Ronald Sachs Violins
East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA
All activities at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation
LGE Community Credit Union
All Fidelity Bank branches
Kids’ Zone Daycare and Learning Center
Club Pilates East Cobb
Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant
Montrose Animal Hospital
Studio 348 for Women
Book Nook Marietta
Office and activities at St. Andrew UMC
Peace Love and Pizza
All activities at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church
Gigi’s Cupcakes
Once & Again Books Shallowford
Cat Clinic of Cobb
Book Exchange
Chick-fil-A Lassiter
All activities at Eastminster Presbyterian Church
Offices and all acitivities at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
Intrigue Salon
Kids Kuts Salon
Atlanta Swim Academy
Three-13 Salon
Righteous Que
Free-Flite Bicycles
Mansouri Family Dental Care
All activities at Eastside Baptist Church
Parisian Nail Salon
Massage Heights East Cobb
Openings
Zaxby’s Lower Roswell Road, 11 a.m.
Muss & Turner East Cobb, noon
Frankie’s Italian restaurant, Roswell Road
Loyal Q, 11 a.m.
Winston’s Food and Spirits
Terrell Mill Animal Hospital, 10 a.m.
Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square, open until 4 p.m.
Marietta Donuts, open until 5 p.m.
Marietta Fish Market, 4 p.m. depending on road conditions
Chick-fil-A East Lake
The Wing Cafe and Tap House
WellStar East Cobb Health Park
Marietta Ice Center revised schedule for public skating sessions: 1:15-3:15 p.m.; 3:30-6 p.m.; 6:15-8:45 p.m.
Cancellations
East Cobb UMC Wednesday Night Supper
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Shortly before 8:30 tonight, the Cobb County School District announced that Cobb schools will be closed on Wednesday, for students and staff, “due to road and travel conditions.”
Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for 83 counties in Georgia, including Cobb, and non-essential state government offices will be closed Wednesday.
Cobb DOT crews are working in 12-hour shifts, starting at 5 p.m. today, and switching to fresh crews at 5 a.m. Wednesday, to treat major roads with a salt and gravel mix as between a half-inch to an inch of snow is forecast to fall on Cobb, and turn to ice as temperatures reached freezing.
Cobb County government is on a delayed opening Wednesday until 10 a.m., including libraries.
With the wind chill, temperatures in the morning could feel as cold as several degrees below zero. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Cobb and most of north Georgia until 10 a.m. Wednesday and a wind chill advisory is in effect until 7 a.m.
CobbLinc will delay the start of all bus services until 10 a.m.
Snowfall began falling in East Cobb a little after 7 tonight, as temperatures fell to around the freezing mark.
The Walker School also is closed on Wednesday, as are Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, the Wood Acres School, Gracepoint School and Faith Lutheran School.
All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closed on Wednesday, but dining services will continue. All campuses of Chattahoochee Tech also will be closed Wednesday.
The Eastside Christian School open house scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week to Jan 24 at 9:30 a.m. All classes are cancelled Wednesday.
The St. Catherine’s Episcopal preschool is closed Wednesday, as is the St. Ann Catholic preschool.
At Transfiguration Catholic Church, preschool, PREP classes and Adult Education classes are cancelled Wednesday, and perpetual adoration will be closed until noon.
The Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon Wednesday has been cancelled.
The East Cobb YMCA and Northeast Cobb YMCA are delaying opening until 10 a.m.
Olde Towne Athletic Club is opening at noon Wednesday.
More updates will posted here as they become available.
ORIGINAL REPORT, posted 4:55 p.m.:
With public and private schools already having cancelled Tuesday evening events, here’s the latest Cobb winter storm update. We’ll keep posting additional information as we have it, including any news about Cobb schools for Wednesday.
The Cobb County School District has been saying this afternoon that “a decision about school for Wednesday will be made either late tonight or early tomorrow morning.”
Send your news about cancellations/postponements to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll add it here.
Weather Conditions
From the National Weather Service, precipitation is expected to come through a line from Carrollton to Canton and into northeastern Georgia around 6 p.m. tonight (as shown in map above), and as temperatures plunge dramatically.
Temperatures were in the high 40s in the East Cobb area around 4:30 p.m., but dropping temperatures, along with the wind chill, could make it feel a few degrees below zero overnight and into early Wednesday morning.
Closings/cancellations/postponements
Cobb County government, including libraries, is closing at 6 tonight, and programs and events scheduled for tonight are cancelled or rescheduled. All government offices, agencies and facilities are slated to open on a delayed basis on Wednesday at 10 a.m.;
The East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA branches are cancelling all after school activities, as well as paid programming. The branches plan to stay open until 7:30;
Transfiguration Catholic Church is cancelling all evening parish activities and meetings, PREP classes and adult ed classes, and Perpetual Adoration is closed from 6 tonight to noon Wednesday. Tonight’s 7 p.m. Mass will be held “as long as the weather holds up,” according to a social media post from around 1 p.m.;
St. Ann Catholic has cancelled Wednesday Mass services at 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.;
The Walker School is cancelling all after school-activities, including practices and games;
The Wood Acres After School Tree House is closing at 5 p.m.
After-school care at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy is closing at 5 p.m. and North campus athletics are cancelled;
All after-school activities at Eastside Christian Academy will conclude at 5:30, and pickup is required by that time. JV basketball games at Mt. Paran are cancelled;
All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closing at 5 p.m., and all night classes after that are cancelled;
The same goes for all campuses at Chattahoochee Tech, closing at 5 p.m.;
The Walton High School wrestling team’s picture day and senior night event scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week, to Jan. 24.
Cobb DOT/Roads
The Cobb DOT road maintenance division has been pretreating roads with brine this morning and is treating roads with salt and gravel mix on designated major routes this afternoon. Between a half-inch and an inch of snow is expected in Cobb. A total of 15 crews will be rolling out by 5 p.m., with another similar number of crews to follow at 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Emergency Information
The Cobb 911 office issued this information around 3 p.m. Tuesday:
Cobb County and much of North Georgia is preparing for the possibility of hazardous weather. Here are some numbers that you might need. Call these numbers instead of 911 if there is not an emergency. Call 911 if you need the fire department, an ambulance or the police. 911 is unable to give time frames on power outages.
Do Not Call 911 unless it is a life-threatening emergency. This would include someone who is utilizing life-sustaining equipment that requires electricity. 911 will not report your outage to any utility company.
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All afternoon and evening activities are canceled for Tuesday, January 16, except for ASP which will operate on a normal schedule. Parents are encouraged to pick up students from ASP as early as possible.
Classes resumed today in the Cobb County School District after Monday’s Martin Luther King holiday, but the system released this statement shortly before 9 a.m. regarding the winter weather advisory issued yesterday about the National Weather Service:
We are monitoring weather forecasts and temps for late Tuesday into Wednesday, January 17, and the impact the weather may have, if any, on Tuesday evening activities and Wednesday classes.
Marietta City Schools have cancelled all Tuesday evening exracurricular activities.
In East Cobb, the only postponement/cancellation we have thus far is Johnson Ferry Christian Academy delaying its scheduled open house tonight to next Monday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. in the chapel.
Some school districts in north Georgia, including Bartow County, are releasing early today, but thus far Cobb has not indicated that will be happening here.
Tuesday’s high temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to be in the high 40s.
The snow isn’t expected until late this afternoon, with very cold weather moving in this evening.
That winter weather advisory area includes Cobb and goes into effect from 5 p.m. tonight to 7 a.m. Wednesday. In addition, a wind chill advisory has been issued that also includes Cobb from 9 p.m. tonight to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The NWS has extended its advisory area to include most of Georgia; the map below was issued earlier this morning.
More updates will be posted here when they become available.
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The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Cobb and most of north Georgia that begins at 4 p.m. Tuesday and continues through 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Cobb and Marietta are included in an area outlined in white in the map below, at right, that could get up to an inch of snow, starting late Tuesday afternoon. In addition, temperatures are expected to fall between five degrees above zero to zero Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, in what the NWS refers to as wind chill values at “dangerous levels.”
Original report, posted at 1:06 p.m.
In addition to really having to bundle up again—below freezing temperatures are back, along with wind chills that will make it feel like it’s in the single digits—there’s a chance of light snow for Cobb, metro Atlanta and most of northwest Georgia Tuesday afternoon.
The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement that up to an inch of light snow is possible across an area above a line from LaGrange to Conyers to Commerce
as early as Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday morning.
While Tuesday’s daytime highs could reach into the 50s, it’s in the late afternoon and evening hours that the precipitation is most likely to occur, and temperatures are expected to plunge into the high teens in metro Atlanta.
Wednesday’s temperatures are not expected to reach freezing, with lows also in the teens. Skies will be sunny, but the wind chill factor will linger at least through Wednesday.
Here’s more from the NWS advisory, which was issued early Monday morning:
Although forecast amounts will mainly be less than 1 inch, temperatures will be well below freezing Tuesday night. Any snow that falls, no matter how light will likely remain on the roads and ground through Thursday morning.
Low temperatures Wednesday morning will range from 12 to 20 degrees with wind chill readings from 10 above to near zero.
Temperatures are expected to drop into into single digits, so any snow that falls will stick.
We will update this forecast if it changes, which the NWS said is likely, including possible school closures.
The weather will get warmer for the weekend, with highs in the 50s and possibly even into the low 60s on Sunday, when a light chance of rain is in the forecast.
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From a winter weather advisory one day to mid-60-degree temperatures the next? That’s how this week started out in East Cobb and around metro Atlanta.
The warming trend is expected to continue through the rest of the week, with highs edging into the low 60s through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
But chilly weather will be back for the weekend, with highs Saturday and Sunday expected to be only in the high 30s.
Lows will dip into the 20s on those nights, and for next week, temperatures are not forecast to get higher than the low 40s. Low temperatures below freezing are also expected.
By next weekend, it may start to get warmer, into the 50s.
But it’s still winter, which means it can often feel a little like spring, fall and winter, sometimes in the span of one week.
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As Cobb schools and many private schools are closed today, some businesses and local government are opening on a delayed basis.
Cobb government, including libraries, opened at 11 a.m. and will stay open through their normal opening hours. Here’s the latest on what we know about East Cobb businesses opening later than usual:
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church will “adhere to our regular schedule” on Monday;
Peace, Love and Pizza: Opening at 12;
Johnny’s Style New York Pizza: Tentatively opening at 1 p.m.;
LGE Community Credit Union is opening all branches at noon;
All paid YMCA programs at both the East Cobb and Northeast Cobb facilities today are cancelled;
Chicago’s Steak & Seafood: Facebook message says it’s closed all day, not for the weather but rather “in observance of” the Georgia-Alabama college football national championship game.
Light rain was still falling in the late morning in East Cobb, with temperatures in the mid 30s.
Shortly after 11 a.m. today, the National Weather Service in Atlanta extended the winter weather advisory issued for overnight and through this morning from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
According to the NWS, there is still “patchy light freezing rain” causing treacherous road conditions as temperatures push above freezing and into the low 40s in Cobb and metro Atlanta early this afternoon. Scattered showers are expected around the Atlanta area for the rest of the day and into the evening, when downtown will be taken over by those attending the Alabama-Georgia game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta and Fulton County governments were closing early for that reason as well, and the first day of the Georgia General Assembly adjourned late this morning in anticipation of weather and football-related traffic.
The NWS said freezing rain issues have been more serious in northwest Georgia. One media report indicated a 35-car pile-up in Catoosa County shut down Interstate 75 earlier this morning near Ringgold due to icy roads.
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Around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, the Cobb County School District announced that the system will be completely closed on Monday, for students and staff, due to a forecast of freezing rain overnight and into the morning.
That follows a winter weather advisory from the Atlanta office of the National Weather Service issued earlier Sunday afternoon. It’s a tiered advisory, going into effect for Cobb and metro Atlanta and north central Georgia from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday.
The forecast calls for light freezing rain, with an accumulation of up to 1/10th of an inch possible. In its announcement, Cobb schools said the potential impact on roads and travel was enough to prompt a full closure.
UPDATED, 8:50 P.M.:
Here are the latest closings/delays we have for the East Cobb area. If you have closures to report, please e-mail us at editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll include it in future updates.
The Walker School will be closed on Monday, as will High Meadows School; Eastside Christian School; Eastminster Christian Preschool; St. Catherine’s Episcopal Preschool; St. Ann’s Catholic Preschool and Monday Masses; and Transfiguration Catholic Preschool, PREP classes and adult ed classes.
All campuses of Kennesaw State University and Chattahoochee Technical College also will be closed Monday.
Paid programming events (swimming lessons, etc.) at the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA and the Northeast Cobb Family YMCA are being cancelled on Monday.
The Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast scheduled for Monday morning also has been postponed.
Cobb County government announced that its offices would be open on a delayed basis, at 11 a.m. Monday. That includes all public library branches.
The LGE Community Credit Union is delaying opening all branches until noon Monday.
Returning to original post:
The NWS forecast indicated that the possible icy conditions were likely to be enough to affect the Monday morning commute.
Over the weekend, City of Atlanta and Fulton County government announced they would be closing early Monday, in part because of the weather but also due to the national college football championship game tomorrow night between Georgia and Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia and Cobb DOT trucks also were going out overnight to treat roads ahead of the freezing rain. Cobb trucks were slated to begin salt treatment of bridges and overpasses around 2 a.m. Monday.
Shortly after Cobb schools announced they would be closed the Marietta, Atlanta and Fulton school systems, and others around metro Atlanta, also said they would be closed Monday.
After a very cold first week of 2018, temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to climb into the low 40s by Monday afternoon. Highs are forecast to be in the 50s during the week and even into the 60s by the weekend.
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For the second time this week, the National Weather Service office in Atlanta has issued a wind chill advisory that includes Cobb County.
The advisory period is from 7 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday for northwestern Georgia. Low temperatures are projected to dip into the teens, with wind chills possibly resulting in temperatures between five above and seven below zero.
Two East Cobb churches are also offering shelter from the cold tonight for the homeless, and need volunteers. Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church (4385 Lower Roswell Road) and Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) announced on the Opening Our Doors website that they need volunteers at both locations.
The cold snap that’s lingered into the new year won’t be thawing out anytime soon. Friday’s high is forecast to be only in the mid 30s, with Friday lows once again in the teens. Saturday and Sunday highs will be the same, and there’s a chance of freezing rain on Sunday night.
Temperatures aren’t expected to get into the 40s until Monday, and next week could bring temperatures in the low 50s.
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If you think the end of 2017 was cold, the first week of the New Year is going to be the coldest weather sequence of the winter.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory from 7 p.m. tonight until 10 a.m. Tuesday for most of northwest Georgia, including Cobb County.
Not long after 2018 rang in, the temperatures dropped dramatically. At around noon today the temperature in East Cobb hovered around 20 degrees, and the high isn’t expected to get beyond the mid 20s.
But it feels a lot colder than that, and it will for the rest of New Year’s Day and into Tuesday.
The wind chill is the real issue. At around 8 a.m. the NWS estimated the wind chill in the Marietta area was 3 degrees above zero.
There was a chance of light snow flurries this morning as well, although nothing has been reported to have fallen in the Cobb area.
It’s after the sun goes down tonight that even colder weather, aided by the wind, could drop into the mid teens. The projected wind chill in the advisory area—a line running roughly north from Carrollton to Canton to Cleveland—could be between 5 degrees above zero and zero.
The wind chill means that it’s precarious to go outside with skin exposed. Frostbite and hypothermia can occur quickly, so individuals are advised to wear heavy coats, hats and gloves and to bring outdoor pets inside.
Tuesday will be sunny with a high just above freezing, with lows in the high teens.
Wednesday and Thursday won’t be much warmer, with highs also around freezing. By the weekend, there may be something of a thaw, with highs in the low 40s for Sunday.
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Forecast map issued by the National Weather Service Atlanta around 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for Cobb County and much of central and north Georgia, and includes the possibility of a “wintry mix” of light sleet and rain in the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Shortly after 3 p.m. the NWS office in Atlanta said brief periods of light rain and possibly sleet are most likely along and north of Interstate 20. Accumulations are not expected, according to the NWS forecast, which indicates that the precipitation is most likely to take place between midnight and 6 a.m.
The chance of rain or sleet after daybreak Wednesday is 30 percent, and the highs tomorrow are expected to be in the mid 40s. A slight chance of rain or freezing rain could return on Thursday, when temperatures are expected to reach in the mid 30s and lows could reach into the mid 20s.
Friday and Saturday will be sunny, with highs in the mid 40s and lows in the 20s.
On Sunday, New Year’s Eve, more winter weather is a possibility, with snow and sleet possible before 1 p.m. Lows could dip into the low 20s.
On New Year’s Day, the sun will return but it will still be cold, and may not get above freezing.
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Two weeks ago, East Cobb and most of North Georgia was digging out of several inches of snow.
Two days before Christmas, the temperatures were nearly 70 degrees, and Christmas Eve day weather will be mild, with highs in the 50s.
But if you’re heading out to Christmas Eve services or other activities tonight, dress warm, and expect to stay bundled up most of the week, heading into the new year.
In addition to getting much colder, the weather also will be windy for the next few days.
After several days of rain and dreary skies to go with those warm temperatures, the skies will be clearing up. Sunday’s forecast will be mostly cloudy, with a high around 53, according to the National Weather Service.
By mid evening, temperatures will drip into the 40s, and may fall below freezing overnight, with some lows into the high 20s. Winds could get as high as 30 mph throughout the day on Sunday.
The Christmas Day forecast calls for sunny skies, but highs may not reach into the 40s all day, and winds as high as 20 mph.
On Tuesday, it will start to warm with sun, and highs in the high 40s, and the same goes for Wednesday, when rainy weather could return.
By Thursday, we may be in for a chance of freezing rain, with precipitation continuing and highs reaching into the high 30s.
Sunny skies will return by Saturday, but high temperatures aren’t likely to exceed the low 40s.
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The Israel residence near Pope High School was one of the last serviced by Cobb EMC that was still without power Tuesday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
UPDATED, WEDNESDAY, 1:20 P.M.:
Murray Israel followed up to say that electricity was restored to his home Tuesday night, but the family was still without heat until this morning because the furnace had to be repaired. It was damaged when a transformer blew out during the storm.
ORIGINAL REPORT POSTED TUESDAY, 5:47 P.M.:
On Tuesday morning, Murray Israel made yet another call to report a service outage to Cobb EMC. His East Cobb family, without power for nearly four days, was among the last customers waiting for the lights—and heat—to come back on.
He placed a service ticket with Cobb EMC, which has been indicating that the Israel residence on Ethan Drive, about a mile from Pope High School, has had its power restored.
Except by late Tuesday afternoon, that wasn’t the case.
For the last three nights, Israel and his wife have kept warm by the fireplace, and later huddled under blankets in the dark, and the cold, while their children have stayed with friends. Everyone else in their Hembree Hills subdivision has had power restored.
Israel was hoping Tuesday would be the day the lights went back on, since he and his family were eager to observe the first night of Hanukkah.
“It’s the Festival of Lights, and we have no lights,” Israel said in a phone interview with East Cobb News, whom he contacted about his situation, frustrated by Cobb EMC’s response. “It’s really, really cold” in the house.
He estimated the temperature inside was around 40 degrees, not much different than Tuesday’s high temperature, and didn’t want to spend another night like the last three.
While the area that includes the Israels’ neighborhood was hard-hit by the winter storms, his particular issue is down to the micro-level. Israel said he noticed downed lines linking a transformer to his house.
“Our problem is just down to our house,” he said. “It’s an isolated situation that’s not affecting anyone but us.”
Kevan Espy, Cobb EMC’s senior vice president for marketing and corporate communications, told East Cobb News around 3 p.m. Tuesday that fewer than 200 of its customers—174, to be exact—were still without power, and that the electric cooperative’s goal was to be down to none by the end of the day.
“I would love to have this all taken care of later tonight,” Espy said of the remaining outages.
For the Israels, sundown also means the beginning of their religious observance. Tentative plans called for a family dinner out, for warmth and light, as much as food.
The storm, which began on Friday, knocked out service to an estimated 69,000 Cobb EMC customers, or about 40 percent of its customer base.
Espy said Cobb EMC called in additional crews from Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and elsewhere in Georgia to conduct around-the-clock repairs that in some places were more difficult than expected.
“It’s individual service calls like this that we’re down to tackling now,” he said, referring to the Israels’ outage.
Israel said his frustration was compounded by being told by customer service representatives the same thing over and over—that his lights were on when they weren’t—and not getting a satisfactory response when he sent a message via Twitter.
He said he’s filed a complaint with the Georgia Public Service Commission, but more than anything just wants to lights to come back on.
There were thousands of power outages in that particular area of Northeast Cobb. Hembree Hills is located between North Hembree Road and Davis Road, which was closed until Sunday afternoon due to downed trees and power lines.
Even on Tuesday, as East Cobb began to thaw out and students returned to school, work crews were still busy. Downed trees and branches were laying by the side of Holly Springs Road and Hembree Road, not far from Pope. Another crew was working on traffic light signalization at Holly Springs and Post Oak Tritt Road.
A message sent by Cobb County Government Tuesday morning said Cobb officials estimate the nearly 12 inches reported in some areas to be an all-time high in the county for a single storm.
By mid-morning Tuesday, nearly 200 locations around the county were being checked for debris and tree removal, according to Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt, and that final clean-up may not be until after Christmas.
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Just after 3 p.m. Monday, the Cobb County School District announced via social media that all classes and other school activities are back on for Tuesday:
All Cobb County schools will resume classes on Tuesday, December 12, on a normal schedule.
Cobb schools have been out of session since an early release on Friday, as a winter storm approached metro Atlanta and left in some areas nearly a foot of snow.
Some of those areas included portions of Cobb County, and resulted in power outages that includes some school facilities.
Cobb schools cancelled Monday classes for that reason, and because of icy roads, including school parking lots and driveways.
Temperatures reached above 50 degrees on Monday afternoon, and lows tonight aren’t expected to fall below 40.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, Cobb EMC said it was down to restoring power to 1,377 Cobb customers and working to repair a broken power pole on Ebenezer Road.
Georgia Power reported Monday afternoon that it has around 6,000 customers still without power, with a handful in Northeast Cobb.
Earlier Monday, Cobb DOT said that Davis Road between Holly Springs Road and Sandy Plains Road remained closed, due to downed trees and power lines that also cut off electric power.
All Cobb government offices reopened under regular hours on Monday, including libraries, which were closed all weekend due to the winter weather.
On Monday evening, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) is holding a Christmas Festival concert at 7 p.m. That was an addition to the schedule after two Saturday holiday concerts were cancelled due to the weather.
The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday calls for mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid-40s and for the rest of the week, with highs in the low 50s projected for Thursday and for the weekend.
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Trees at the Marietta Campground covered with snow. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
We did get out and around East Cobb Sunday afternoon, as did many other East Cobbers needing food and other provisions (including Christmas trees) and trying to get back to normal.
Many businesses and restaurants were also open, and most roads with downed trees and power lines had been cleared.
As was reported earlier today, Cobb schools will be closed Monday, due to icy roads expected in the morning, and because some schools still do not have electrical power.
We haven’t gotten details on which schools were without power, but icy road conditions across the county are expected for Monday; temperatures are expected to reach into the low 50s, along with the same sunny skies we’ve had since Saturday.
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Share your winter weather pictures, and we’ll post them, as well as business or other closings or cancellations. E-mail editor@eastcobbnews.com.
As of 5:20 p.m. Sunday, Cobb EMC estimated that about 5,000 of its customers are still without power (outage map), and that a broken power line on Ebenezer Road in Northeast Cobb is still among those needing repair.
Earlier today we also noted that there was only one road in the county that was closed, and that was the roundabout at Holly Springs Road and Davis Road. It was open when we drove through there shortly after 3 p.m. (photo just below); if you’re heading north on Holly Springs you may notice a few tree limbs hanging close to a power line, which apparently had been the cause of the closure.
We then traveled eastbound on Shallowford Road, from Sandy Plains to Johnson Ferry, there were some patches of ice, since there wasn’t a lot of direct sunshine. In particular, there were icy spots in the right eastbound lane on Shallowford between Sandy Plains and Lassiter Road, so if you’re in that area, take precautions and slow down, especially at the intersections of Wesley Chapel Road, North Hembree Road and Old Suttons Way (just below).
Johnson Ferry Road was well traveled around 3:30 p.m., and as traffic increased for the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Christmas Festival service that began at 4 p.m. There’s another service at 7 p.m., and there are police officers directing traffic.
Heading westbound on Lower Roswell Road was almost pure slush, especially between Indian Hills Parkway and Old Canton Road. Unlike Shallowford, this stretch of Lower Roswell was getting a lot of direct sunlight, but with temperatures freezing overnight it figures to be treacherous for Monday morning traffic.
Here’s what we have on openings/closings for Monday as of 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Please e-mail your news/photos to: editor@eastcobbnews.com:
Cobb public libraries will be open;
St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church preschool and St. Ann Catholic preschool are closed Monday;
Classes at The Walker School are closed Monday. The U.S. Science exam will start at 12pm, the campus will open to U.S. arrivals at 11:30am. This is the only exam tomorrow and includes 8th grade students taking the Biology exam. The Lower School chorus concert will occur as planned at 7 p.m.;
Ronald Sachs Violins will be open from 3-6 on Monday;
High Meadows Schools will be closed Monday;
East Cobb Pediatrics will be open on Monday;
A Monday holiday concert of the Sprayberry High School chorus also is cancelled since there will be no school tomorrow.
Students (and we hope some adults!) get to enjoy a continuation of a most unexpected winter wonderland in East Cobb, two weeks before Christmas.
The entrance to the Willow Ridge subdivision at Robinson Road.
Send news of opening/closing/cancellations and photos of the snow near you to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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