The snow fell. It's about to begin! I knew it was time to get down and dirty.. Research By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. But other times, winter weather can be quite harsh closing down streets and highways, and oftentimes shutting down entire cities. Weve had events where we have had more snowfall than in 2014 and because GDOT and some of the other agencies supporting them have gone out and pre-treated the roads and done the leg work beforehand, it has kept lanes opened when its below freezing, state meteorologist Will Lanxton said. It was like something you would see if they told you the plague broke out and you had to run for your life, she said. The next storm was supposed to be different. On Jan. 28, 2014, two inches and change of snow brought the city. Workers slept in the aisles at CVS. We made a mistake by not staggering when people should leave, so Ill take responsibility for that, he said. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Winter weather can be a tricky thing. The rare Southern winter storm stretched to Brownsville, Texas. ATLANTA Some people called it Snowmageddon, others called it Snowpocalypse, thankfully very few people called it snOMG. The ambulance that was headed their way crashed. 5 Comments / By Andy Darnell / January 9, 2012 January 9, 2012. Sometimes youll find real beauty in a fresh snowfall, the silence of a blizzard, or the delicate touch of a snowflake on your face. Be prepared the next time winter weather strikes metro Atlanta by following us on Facebook and downloading the Severe Weather Team 2 app. Many area stores opened their doors to take in stranded drivers. Aviation Weather When Auburn kicks off against Florida State metro Atlanta temperatures will be in the teens. "So much of the freight industry is based on just-in-time arrangements," he said. Thirty minutes go by and the Alpharetta fire department shows up and clears the road fairly quickly, but I still couldnt cross as they have not yet cleared the bridge from ice. On some highways, motorists were stranded overnight. Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency, No one could travel out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Checks from Georgias $1 BILLION tax rebate are starting to hit bank accounts, No. I was super scared. Unable to get to a bathroom, she did what she had to do as she drove. This might simply be Atlanta's fate in winter storms: The city was also brought to a standstill in a winter storm in 1993. Mr. Reed, who was combative in news media briefings, said many of the problems had occurred on state roads. ", "I'm willing to accept whatever blame comes my way," Deal said. Snow started falling on Atlanta on Tuesday and commuters, schools and businesses all let out at the same time, causing gridlock. Almost eight years ago now, January 2014 gave us Snowmageddon. The storm only produced about two to three inches of snow. Tuesday morning, when fairly heavy snow started falling north of the city, people started hitting the roads. 600 total flights in two days. She spent 22 hours in her Ford Focus, too scared to step out of the car and too nervous to sleep for fear that traffic would start moving at any moment. Vehicles can sustain structural damage when improperly towed or pulled, to determine if such damage exists take your vehicle to the closest body shop or dealer for an inspection. After so much havoc was caused by a storm that brought only 2-3 inches of snow to most of the Atlanta metro area, Georgia Gov. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Deal acknowledged Tuesday that perhaps he should have acted sooner. Some drivers even abandoned their cars on the streets to walk home after a 15-mile trek took over six hours. Do you remember any of these horrific winter storms in Georgia? Put Byron on the line, the dispatcher told her, because the ambulance is not coming, and he is about to deliver a baby., I almost passed out when I heard that, Mr. Dobbins said. With the upcoming snow predicted, we decided to take a look back at the mess across metro Atlanta. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, Atlanta mayor and Georgia governor face scrutiny over response to storm, Past winter storms caused similar problems in Atlanta. Channel 2 Action News is taking a look at the biggest events in Georgia history as WSB-TV celebrates its 75th anniversary. Had it developed as expected further south, the impact of freezing rain and snow would have been much, more worse. Two rounds of precipitation occurred with this event. Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency before the first flakes fell on Sunday night. Record low temperatures and wind chills has us thinking about the week that Atlantans stayed home, watched TV and waited for the ice to melt. Observations Its sad for Americas 9th largest metro area to fall into chaos over 2.5 inches of fluffy snow. Want to go even further back to the snowstorm of 2011? The slick roads caused spinouts and wrecks across metro Atlanta and north Georgia. He eased the car off the road and slept in a parking lot, trading thumbs up signs with the woman in the next car. And the babys name? The roads iced over mid-day on a weekday when people were trying to make their way home. In fact, as the snow picked up. Those kinds of good Samaritan moments happened seemingly everywhere. Motorists stopped on normally busy roadways. She has lived all over the country, including a decade stint in South Florida. In the aftermath, this headline led the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: How did this happen?. The first moved in early Tuesday morning on the 11th bringing 2 to 5 inches snow to areas roughly north of a Rome to Gainesville line. The merit of those in the South showed themselves over and over again. Thankfully, blizzards in Georgia are rare. Insurance companies know who the legitimate appraisers are, so don't get caught up in the estimate game. Cant get enough of Georgias amazing natural wonders? Local The storm also had a major impact on schools and children. The conditions led to crashes all over the place. Weather Radio The sea of vehicles on the roadway showed signs of clearing by Jan. 30. This exact situation must have occurred in the Atlanta Metro 100 more times, I was lucky and was able to cross the bridge an hour after it was shut down, others were not as lucky. When a light snow started falling early Tuesday afternoon, Saquana Bonaparte, 31, left her factory job and headed out to get her daughter from school in one of the citys northern suburbs. Others ran out of gas. Would you rather collect 80% of an accurate appraisal or 20% of an inflated one? The second round proved to be more significant of the twoas it moved in Wednesday morning as a cold air damming event, or wedge front, pushed southwest from upstate South Carolina and into northeast Georgia and points south and west. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed face withering scrutiny over their handling of the weather emergency. There was not much snow only a couple of inches in most parts of the city but as parents vehicles, school buses and tractor-trailers filled the Interstates, the roads iced over, and everything stopped. The storm only produced about two to three inches of snow. A New Jersey native with over 15 years of writing experience, Marisa has studied at both New York University and Florida International University. Abbott invoked the immigration status of shooting victims, How Trump made it cool for Republicans to hate their own party, JPMorgans acquisition of First Republic revives too-big-to-fail talk. Satellite Images ATLANTA There are bad commutes, and then there is what happened here this week. The city's repeated, winter-storm transportation crises have impact beyond commuters and schoolchildren. The roads are full of ice, one driver told us at the time. Many people were unable to even get on the roads to get to the airport. We can never promise that we will always be correct when it comes to deciding what Mother Nature will do.. We've had a number of winter weather events, but city officials have been well-prepared each time. Atlanta is such an important hub when it comes to goods movement.". Please fill out the form below to receive a FREE Diminished Value estimate. Even Gov. Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" played a clip of Georgia governor Nathan Deal saying the scope of the snowstorm could not have been predicted, then a clip of a Weather Channel meteorologist predicting it, while pointing out The Weather Channel is itself located in Atlanta. Reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House, The Souths disastrous response to the winter storm, in pictures, Why Gov. There were other bright spots. The city was more prepared than it had ever been, he said. Over three days, from Jan. 12-14, 1982, 4 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain fell in Atlanta, quickly paralyzing the city. Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press. He said the city has spent $2.5 million since then on equipment. Fortunately a "dry slot" wrapped around the south end east side of the upper level low pressure area. November 13 - 21, 2014 North American winter storm January 2016 United States blizzard (Snowzilla [11]) Winter of 2009-2010 in the United Kingdom Winter of 2010-2011 in the United Kingdom January 17, 2020 in St. John's, Canada blizzard (Snowmageddon) [12] [13] February 13-17, 2021 North American winter storm See also You might be interested in the seven natural wonders of Georgia, then! Commuters wouldnt have missed much if they fell asleep in their cars. Others had abandoned their cars in or beside the road. 2023 Cox Media Group. Thankfully, Atlanta hasn't experienced anything likeSnowmageddon, also referred to as "Snowpocalypse," since 2014. SKYWARN Live trucks don't always work very well in the cold. Cars werent starting, which caused many people to be stuck at home in miserable and life-threatening conditions. Tuesday's snowfall and the hundreds of thousands of motorists who flooded the metropolitan area's roadways as the storm moved in created travel nightmares for commuters, truckers, students and their families. Atlanta Officials Gamble on Storm and Lose, and Others Pay the Price, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/us/ice-storm-southern-united-states.html. WSB-TV marks 75th anniversary with yearlong celebration, Atlanta remembers 26 years since Olympic Park bombing, 12 things we remember about Snowmageddon 2011, Channel 2s Monica Pearson and Justin Farmer talk about witnessing Obama inauguration, Channel 2s Jovita Moore passes away after battle with brain cancer. Activity Planner Also called Snowpocalypse, Jan. 28, 2014, is far from forgotten by the metro. 7 Gorgeous Frozen Waterfalls In Georgia That Must Be Seen To Be Believed, Here Are The 5 Best Places To Go Sled Riding In Georgia This Winter, The Charming Small Town In Georgia Where You Can Still Experience An Old-Fashioned Christmas, This Trail In Georgia Will Lead You To Extraordinary Ancient Ruins, The Magnificent Farmhouse Rental In Georgia That Gets Decked Out For The Holidays, The Giant Ice Skating Rink In Georgia Avalon On Ice, Is A Winter Dream Come True, This Georgia Christmas Town Is Straight Out Of A Norman Rockwell Painting, Not Everyone Knows The State Botanical Garden Of Georgia Puts On A Dazzling Holiday Light Display. But then I got my composure. Atlanta is a regional gateway city, meaning people driving from points north, south, east and west of the city pass through on on Interstates 75, 85 and 20; other interstate highways in the region include 285, 575 and 675. http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/615/img/photos/2011/10/10/26411461.jpg. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. But the spirit of Atlanta and the South combined on social media to form a group where neighbors began to help neighbors. "And if I'm responsible for it, I'll accept that. By 8:35 Monday morning AirTran had canceled every single flight for the day. The January 28, 2014 snowstorm crippled metro Atlanta for almost a week and caused extreme chaos on the city's main interstates and highways. Late Tuesday, the National Weather Service said 2.3 inches was recorded at Atlantas Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, AP reported. South of this line a mixture of rain, sleet and snow occurred with little impact at the time. Students slept in school gyms. As I was driving home from my office (4.5 mile trip took me 3 hours), I was stopped ahead of a bridge by an Alpharetta police officer, I was the first car and could see the carnage in front of me, the bridge was a solid sheet of ice and multiple motorists wiped out ahead of me and are now parked sideways on the bridge. She ended up inching along in her car for almost 12 hours and survived on a half bag of beef jerky and a small bottle of Mountain Dew. Whatever you called the snow storm. Outlooks State and local officials expected the brunt of the storm to hit south and east of Atlanta; when it started snowing in communities in west and north Atlanta, schools, businesses and government offices started closing. Even James Spann, Alabamas best-known television meteorologist, known for his accuracy in predicting the path of tornadoes and other severe weather, called his forecast for Tuesday a bust. There was a lot of lesson-learned soul-searching after Snowmageddon 2011. The snow and ice on the roadways made many areas simply impassable. In January 2011, Atlanta was hit with a massive snow storm, the whole city was offline for about 5 days. What Atlanta's snowmageddon teaches us about . Gov. As the sun began to rise the next day, people woke up to the news that many of those same vehicles on Atlanta's interstates remained there overnight. In South Carolina, more than 800 accidents were reported by the State Police in a 12-hour period. Denise Watkins, who was moving on Tuesday, ended up sleeping on a strangers couch after inching through the city for about nine hours. Warner Robins The precipitation continued through day and into the overnight. Marisa is well-versed in exploration as she travels a good majority of the year in her self-converted Sprinter van. Many Atlanta residents described the aftermath as the opening scene from The Walking Dead. What year was the big ice storm in Georgia? Laura Gargis was four months pregnant and terrified when she became trapped on the interstate in the infamous 2014 winter storm known around metro Atlanta as "Snowmageddon." If youre one of the unfortunate drivers whos cars were totaled, remember, you dont have to accept the insurance companys valuation, always hire your own appraiser if you suspect that their offer is too low. This time around, all of the other factors were exacerbated by people driving too fast for conditions. 2023 Cox Media Group. Jerome Golden, 50, had flown to Atlanta from Los Angeles on a business trip and was driving to a hotel when he got stuck in the traffic jam. "We do take responsibility for having the business community, the government and the schools leave all at once," he said. Twice. The snow started falling at 12:30. "That is a lesson we need to look at and see if it would have made a difference in that situation," he said. But you could certainly ice skate down Peachtree Street. The Home Depot stores and fire stations provided shelter to stranded motorists. Her articles have been featured in various notable publications over the years, she has a published collection of short stories, and three completed screenplays under her belt. Nathan Deal were by turns defensive and apologetic. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. The real problem, he said, was a vast and unexpected flow of people who took to the roads at nearly the same time. Despite its usually mild winters, there have been a few notable blizzards in Georgia including: 2. It gained 50,000 followers in hours. [SIGN UP:Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox]. Tuesday's snowfall brought just 2.6 inches of snow to Atlanta, but it was a one-day record and enough to hamstring the region, creating nightmares for commuters, truckers, students and their. I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in Boston, he was laughing at our situation. This article was published more than9 years ago. Authorities told us that they responded to more than 200 accidents this afternoon, Channel 2s Justin Farmer reported throughout our coverage of the storm. That said, areas along and just south of the Interstate 20 corridor of East Central Georgia still received ice totals not seen in decades. Dozens, if not hundreds, of vehicles were left. Finally, about 11 a.m. Wednesday, a friend of a friend walked across the Interstate and helped her trek about a mile and a half to shelter. Which of the following information do you have? We saw a half foot or more of snow accumulate. One of the most infamous winter storms in Atlanta history was dubbed Snowmageddon, and it took place on January 28, 2014. A lot of us watched the game, because we couldn't leave the house. There was never and has never since been a blizzard in GA that had the ferocity of the 1993 disaster, and its unlikely that itll repeat itself often, if at all. The forecast path of the storm changed. Whatever you called the snow storm of January 2011, you no doubt remember being stuck at home from Sunday night until mid-week. But some folks still were able to have a little fun. Some of the most historic blizzards in Georgia go down in the books as truly remarkable and wholly unforgettable. Such a declaration usually triggers school dismissals and business closings. Josh Tanner, an emergency management specialist at the Gadsden-Etowah County EMA, says that usually happens more often up north. Tori Linder, 22, was on her way to her job at a neonatal intensive care unit when she got caught in a traffic jam on Interstate 285.
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