Snow in Atlanta 2011: Surveying the Damage

It's Monday morning and the sun is coming up.  Time to survey the damage from last night's winter storm.

It's rare in Atlanta to get some snow that will stick on the ground for more than a couple hours, but we go it last night along with some ice.

The roads are bad and it is very cold out.  The TV news crews are telling people not to go out unless they absolutely have to. 

The worst looks like it is over, but we are stuck inside for the day.

Update on Monday, January 10, 2011 at 8:45AM by Rick C.Limpert

Side note:  Usually when there is a snow day the area malls are packed.  I've always said that they should build all schools near malls because on snow days from school, the kids and teachers may not be able to get to school, but they sure can find the way to the mall.

Well, the snow and ice were so bad, even the maor Atlanta area malls are closed today.  What's everyone to do now?

Georgia Braces for a Major Winter Storm

The closings have started in the Atlanta area, and there is a serious run on milk, bread, and bottled water at local grocery stores.

Major airlines like Detla, AirTran and American began canceling flights and at least two state highways in North Georgia were already closed Friday night as a "significant" winter storm barreled it's way into the state, bringing with it ice and maybe as much as a foot of snow, with the promise of more to come.

On Friday, GDOT trucks were loaded and outfitted with snow plows and spreads. GDOT has alerted more than 200 members of its metro staff that they may need to come in Sunday, and hundreds more were on call statewide.

The National Weather Service issued a watch for a "significant" winter storm  for much of the state for Sunday night through Monday night.

The National Weather Service said the snow will start Sunday evening and continue through early Monday morning.

"Initially, areas from Carrollton to metro Atlanta to Washington will  mix with or change over to sleet,  limiting accumulations to three to five inches of snow and sleet," the Weather Service said. "North of this area, accumulations will be higher, with five to seven inches expected with the higher elevations remaining all snow, resulting in locally higher accumulation amounts."

Delta Air Lines on Friday began making preparations for flight cancellations, and also is allowing customers whose flights are affected by the storm to change their schedules without fees.

A Delta spokesperson said in a statement that beginning Sunday night, "flight delays are expected at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as a result of winter weather, and Delta will proactively reduce flight schedules to minimize delays."

Bergen  suggested travelers check with websites of individual airlines for flight status or check www.fly.faa.gov for real-time information on airport conditions.

More updates to follow as the weather forecasts and radar get more detailed readings.

Blizzard Closes Airports in Northeast

An huge blizzard stopped travel up the East coast and invaded the New York region and the Northeast on Sunday with barrages of wind-driven snow that closed airports, disrupted rail and highway travel and transformed a dozen states into enchanted and borderless white dreamscapes.

The storm has produced wind gusts up to 55 miles an hour and snow two feet deep in spots. The National Weather Service predicted snowfalls of 16 to 20 inches in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut by Monday afternoon.

The weather service called it the biggest storm in the region since last February, when record snowfalls paralyzed the mid-Atlantic states.

The snow began falling in New York in late morning, and by 5 p.m. it had already eclipsed the average of 3.3 inches for the month of December.

Through the afternoon, the storm grew into an adventure. The snow came down in great sweeping curtains, drifting over parked cars and park benches.

The New York Giants are stuck in Green Bay for another night following their loss to the Packers.  They will try and make it home Monday morning.

Snowbound Highway Travelers Rescued in Canada

Police and the Canadian Forces have rescued all 237 people stranded in their vehicles along snowbound Highway 402 in Lambton County, the OPP said Tuesday night.

Police said 200 tractor-trailers and 124 cars which had been trapped in deep snow along the highway were checked. Some vehicles had been abandoned, police said.

There were no reports of missing persons

A state of emergency continued around London and Sarnia Tuesday after a raging snowstorm forced the closure of Highway 402, sections of the 401 and left hundreds of motorists stranded in the freezing darkness.

Police were using snowmobiles and ATVs to get to vehicles. The Canadian Forces joined the effort with a CC-130 Hercules fixed-wing airplane and two CH-146 Griffon helicopters.

The blowing snow and windy conditions continued Tesday night into Wednesday morning.

Midwest Digging out After Winter Storm

Close to two feet of snow in some areas, roads closed, flights at airports delayed.

Such is life in the nation's heartland during the winter months.