UPDATED, 7:15 P.M.
The Cobb County School District said Wednesday classes will begin on a two-hour delay.
“Throughout the day, our police, maintenance, and transportation departments have reviewed both road and facility conditions in Cobb,” stated a district message that went out at 7:10 p.m.
All extracurricular and after-school activities, including sports, “will operate on a normal schedule.”
The district said the decision was made “in line with discussions with the National Weather Service Atlanta, Cobb Emergency Management, and Cobb Department of Transportation.”
ORIGINAL REPORT:
An rare winter storm that dumped several inches of snow along the Gulf coast reached metro Atlanta Tuesday.
By mid-afternoon, the National Weather Service in Atlanta expanded a winter storm warning to include Cobb County, as other parts of the metro region experienced significant amounts of snow and ice.
The warning extends through 7 a.m. Wednesday, as temperatures are once again expected to fall into the mid-teens Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning,
Shortly before 5 p.m., the Cobb County School District said it was monitoring weather reports and would decide on whether to cancel Wednesday classes and activities by 7 p.m.
“We continue to monitor conditions in Cobb during a very complicated winter storm,” a district message stated.
“Due to weather conditions that are shifting across the metro area, we are not yet able to announce a decision about tomorrow’s school day.”
School was closed on Tuesday in Cobb, Marietta and other school districts in metro Atlanta, as a storm that swept up through the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida panhandle coastal areas moved inland.
Cobb had been in under a winter weather advisory through Wednesday morning.
Wet and snowy weather arrived early Tuesday afternoon, causing treacherous travel and shutting down Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Along the gulf coast, more than six inches of snow were reported in Mobile, Ala., and the first-ever snow blizzard alerts were issued in Louisiana, where New Orleans was also blanketed with several inches of snow.
Anywhere from 2-6 inches of snow has been forecast. The Cobb Emergency Management Agency said around 6 p.m. that parts of South Cobb have experienced some snow, with “a slight amount of accumulation near the I-20/Riverside area. Douglas County has experienced similar on their side of the line. Our DOT is reporting there are no travel impacts at this time, but this doesn’t mean to throw caution to the wind while driving.”
Cobb County government said county DOT crews were out Tuesday morning pre-treating main roads, and all county offices, services and courts closed at 12:30 p.m.
“So far (fingers crossed), most of the county’s roads are in great shape,” the county said on social media around 5:30 p.m Tuesday.
Tuesday night’s lows are expected to be the coldest yet in a winter weather wave that began on Sunday night, with lows around 12 or 13.
On Wednesday, temperatures will rise above freezing, to around 36, with sunny skies, then drop to around 20 on Wednesday night.
Thursday-Sunday weather is forecast to be sunny and in the 40s for highs,, and lows in the 20s.
The start of next week will be warmer, with highs back into the 50s.
For more local weather details, click here.
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