Snow in Home Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Patrick Saunders/WABE)
Chip Somodevilla/Pool / Chip Somodevilla/Pool
This story was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7:28 p.m.
Atlanta residents woke up to sunny skies, icy roads, single-digit wind chills and a second day of widespread school and office closings on Wednesday after a winter storm blanketed the city in snow for the second time in two weeks.
State and local officials continued to urge drivers to stay off the roads due to hazardous conditions and to allow road crews and emergency vehicles to work.
“The roads are still icy and slick due to the weather. For your safety and the safety of others, please avoid driving and stay off the roads today,” the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency said Wednesday morning on X.
Crews from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Atlanta Department of Transportation worked overnight to clear major roads of ice and snow. But that doesn’t end the potential dangers.
“Refreeze can happen quickly, even after roads have been brined or salted, especially in shaded areas, bridges and overpasses,” GDOT posted on X.
GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said that there is still a lot of work left to be done. GDOT has around 450 snowplows working across the state. Some 1,500 employees are working 12-hour shifts so the work continues around the clock.
They continue to make interstates a priority.
“That’s our focus today and tonight and hopefully into tomorrow and the following days, as long as it takes we’re going to continue to treat, plow and try and make these roads passable,” McMurry said Wednesday afternoon.
A MARTA bus drives down 17th Street in Atlantic Station on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. MARTA suspended bus and streetcar service shortly after this picture was taken due to hazardous road conditions. (Patrick Saunders/WABE)
The winter storm dangers will carry over into a third day.
“Sunshine and a few hours of above-freezing temperatures could improve roadways, but with freezing temperatures again overnight, shaded or untreated surfaces will likely remain an … issue Thursday morning,” NWS said in a statement.
“Bitterly cold” conditions are expected late Wednesday into Thursday with wind chills of 10-15 degrees in Atlanta, according to NWS. Patches of snow and ice on the roads will likely continue to make driving hazardous in some areas of the city through next week.
A winter storm warning in Georgia expired Wednesday. A state of emergency is still in effect through Jan. 28.
Snow blankets the Windsor Forest neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Emily Jones/WABE)
There were nearly 30,000 power outages as of Wednesday late afternoon in Georgia largely centered in the southeastern corner of the state in Camden and Glynn Counties. That’s down from about 50,000 outages earlier in the day. There are very few outages in Atlanta, according to Poweroutage.us.
Flight cancelations and delays continued to rise throughout the day Wednesday. There were over 400 flight cancelations and over 750 flight delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as of 3:30 p.m., according to FlightAware.
And MARTA bus and streetcar services continued to be suspended Wednesday until road conditions improve. MARTA rail service is operating on a weekend schedule but many trips may be canceled due to staffing shortages and weather conditions. Riders are advised to allow extra time for travel.
Vehicles stranded, hundreds of 911 calls
A state of emergency was declared in DeKalb County due to the weather conditions. County road crews applied over 500 tons of salt, sand and calcium chloride overnight but the extreme cold rendered those treatments “largely ineffective,” according to a press release.
DeKalb emergency services have responded to hundreds of 911 calls, and over 100 vehicles have been stranded as of 7:15 a.m.
“This is a serious situation,” Dekalb County CEO Cochran-Johnson said in the release. “We are asking for everyone’s patience and cooperation as our teams work around the clock to ensure public safety. Staying off the roads is critical — not only for your safety but to allow emergency responders to reach those in need.”
Some school districts continue closures, others resume in person
After two days of widespread school closures in metro Atlanta due to icy roads, a few school districts are extending their snow days into Thursday.
DeKalb County Public Schools has announced an asynchronous learning day and canceled all extracurricular activities and events on Thursday. Rockdale County Public Schools will have a synchronous virtual learning day and has also canceled extracurricular activities.
Clayton County Public Schools and Gwinnett County Public Schools will have another virtual work day for students and staff, and Henry County Schools will also be closed another day.
Fulton County schools south of Interstate 20 and Atlanta Public Schools will open 2 hours later than usual.
Cobb County schools are back to a normal schedule.
Government offices closed, warming centers open in Atlanta
State offices in Atlanta including the State Capitol and surrounding areas are closed for a second day. All City of Atlanta government offices, including municipal courts, are closed on Wednesday with employees working virtually. The Atlanta Department of Public Works suspended all garbage, recycling, yard debris and bulk collections for the day.
The City of Atlanta opened two warming centers Sunday night that will remain open through Wednesday at 3 p.m. The centers are at the Central Park Recreation Center on Merritts Avenue and Selena S. Butler Park on W.M. Holmes Borders Drive. The Butler Park warming center is for women and children only.
The Old Adamsville Recreation Center on Delmar Lane will serve as an overflow location.
This is the second time in 2025 that snow fell in Atlanta. A winter storm hit the city on Jan. 10 that led to Georgia being placed under a state of emergency order and canceled schools, flights and more.
