State of Emergency declared for Georgia in wake of this weekend’s winter storm

The government continues to make preparations for incoming winter weather conditions that have many Georgians concerned.

On Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency for all of Georgia. This authorizes the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to activate the State Operations Center and mobilize any needed resources to address potential impacts. Georgia Department of Transportation the Georgia Department of Public Safety, and other agencies are instructed to provide essential personnel to the SOC, which will move to a Level 2 Activation beginning Thursday at 7 p.m.

The State of Emergency also prohibits price gouging, suspends hours-of-service limitations for commercial vehicle operators involved in response activities and temporarily increases weight, height, and length limits for commercial vehicles transporting essential supplies.

Safety tips: Will roads ice over in Georgia? Use these tips when driving can’t be avoided

At almost the same time of the order, the National Weather Service issued a “Hazardous Weather Outlook” for North Georgia. Light mixed precipitation will begin spreading into the area from the west late Thursday, but frozen precipitation is not expected until Friday morning. Below normal temperatures will continue through Tuesday. Much of North Georgia will also be under a Winter Storm Watch.

The ice accumulation forecast is unfortunately looking worse. Huge chunks of areas from Atlanta and Athens to Elijay are looking at 0.12 and 0.16 inches of ice. Wednesday’s forecast showed very small areas getting this much with the rest expecting less than 0.1 inches.

Some good news: The expected snowfall forecast has slightly improved. The areas around Atlanta and Athens are now expected up to 0.5 inches, with more as you travel up north. The northern most areas are looking at up to 3 inches. These projections are half of what was in Wednesday’s forecast.

Kemp said in the State of Emergency that GDOT, along with DPS, began treating roads early Thursday morning to prepare for the approaching winter storm, and asked all Georgians to help them do their jobs by limiting travel as much as possible in the coming days.

“Hazardous conditions, including ice and snow, can develop quickly and make travel very dangerous,” he said. “Plan ahead and stay tuned to updates from state and local officials to ensure you and your loved ones remain safe while our first responders continue to work tirelessly throughout this weather event.”

Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: State of Emergency in Georgia for winter storm, hazardous weather outlook

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel