Community Corner

Ice Storm Warning for Oconee: NWS says 'Crippling Effects Are Likely'

Oconee County could get dangerous ice accumulations.

There's no good reason to be out and about once the ice storm hits Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Nothing's going to be open anyway.

Want another reason?

The National Weather Service has issued an Ice Storm Warning for many parts in northeast Georgia, including Clarke and Oconee counties nearby. The warning expires at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13.

The Weather Service says dangerous ice accumulations are forecasted along a line from Franklin, to Newnan and Peachtree City to Warrenton.

Clarke and Oconee are in the northern side of that line, where accumulations could be as much as an inch. That's not a missprint.

Many government agencies and all schools, including the University of Georgia, are closed today.

Here's the National Weather Statement:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA

Find out what's happening in Oconeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

908 PM EST TUE FEB 11 2014

MADISON-CLARKE-OCONEE-OGLETHORPE-WILKES-CARROLL-DOUGLAS- SOUTH FULTON-ROCKDALE-WALTON-NEWTON-MORGAN-GREENE-TALIAFERRO- HEARD-COWETA-FAYETTE-CLAYTON-SPALDING-HENRY-BUTTS-JASPER-PUTNAM- HANCOCK-WARREN-TROUP-MERIWETHER-PIKE-UPSON-LAMAR-MONROE-JONES- BALDWIN-WASHINGTON-GLASCOCK-JEFFERSON-CRAWFORD-BIBB-TWIGGS- WILKINSON-JOHNSON-EMANUEL-PEACH-HOUSTON-BLECKLEY-LAURENS-TREUTLEN

Find out what's happening in Oconeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ATHENS...CARROLLTON...DOUGLASVILLE... EAST POINT...CONYERS...COVINGTON...NEWNAN...PEACHTREE CITY...GRIFFIN...MILLEDGEVILLE...MACON...SWAINSBORO...WARNER ROBINS

 

ICE STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THURSDAY... 

* LOCATIONS...ALONG AND EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM FRANKLIN TO   NEWNAN AND PEACHTREE CITY TO WARRENTON. 

* HAZARD TYPES...MAINLY FREEZING RAIN WITH SOME SNOW AND SLEET. 

* ACCUMULATIONS...SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF THE ICE STORM WARNING   WILL BE ON THE EDGE OF WARNING CRITERIA WITH WARNER ROBINS AND   MACON SEEING ANYWHERE FROM A TENTH TO A QUARTER INCH OF ICE.   FURTHER NORTH HOWEVER...MORE CRIPPLING EFFECTS ARE LIKELY WITH   A HALF TO POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS AN INCH OF ICE FROM THIS STORM. 

* TIMING...SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL BEGIN LATE   TONIGHT...GENERALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO   WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL GRADUALLY CHANGEOVER TO ALL FREEZING RAIN   WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE ACTIVITY SHOULD END AS   LIGHT SNOW LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. 

* IMPACTS...THESE HIGH ICE ACCUMULATION AMOUNTS WILL MAKE TRAVEL   IMPOSSIBLE. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A CATASTROPHIC EVENT WIDESPREAD AND EXTENDED POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY AS ICE   ACCUMULATES ON TREES AND POWERLINES AND BRINGS THEM DOWN.   PLEASE PREPARE TO BE WITHOUT POWER IN SOME LOCATIONS FOR DAYS   AND PERHAPS AS LONG AS A WEEK. ONCE THE ICE BEGINS TO MELT ON   THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...FALLING ICE FROM BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES   WILL CREATE AN ADDITIONAL HAZARD. 

* WINDS...NORTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH. THESE   WIND SPEEDS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ICE WILL EXACERBATE THE   POTENTIAL FOR FALLING TREES.  * TEMPERATURES...IN THE LOWER 30S AND DROPPING INTO THE UPPER   20S.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...  A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ICE MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS ICE ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS AND IMPOSSIBLE IN MOST CASES. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD... AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. WITH THE FORECAST ICE AMOUNTS...WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY IN THE WEDNESDAY TO WEDNESDAY NIGHT TIME PERIOD.  A LAYER OF ICE...COMBINED WITH WINDY CONDITIONS...IS EXPECTED TO BREAK TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES. STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM THESE HAZARDS...AND PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES BY HAVING FLASHLIGHTS AND EMERGENCY SUPPLIES READY.





Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Oconee