Athens area weather updates: Snow falls in Athens area, warning of adverse road conditions
Snow began to fall in the Athens area mid-day Sunday.
As of Sunday morning, the National Weather Service predicted as much as one inch of snow may be seen in the Athens area.
Athens-Clarke County police sent out an advisory at 11:20 a.m. warning of reports of icing on roadways. Additional potentially dangerous road conditions are still possible as the weather changes throughout the day.
Snow likely to hit Athens GA area around 3 p.m. Sunday
As of Sunday morning, the National Weather Service had the Athens area under a winter weather advisory.
Snow is considered likely for the area after 3 p.m., according to the NWS. The predicted snowfall amount is around 1 inch. The Athens area saw strong wind gusts through Saturday night and early Sunday and will continue to see winds, potentially over 50 mph.
Total daytime ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.2 of an inch possible, according to NWS.
"We are starting to see a combination of freezing rain and higher wind gusts (40-50+ mph) in NE GA and parts of the metro. This will lead to more trees and powerlines falling across the area. Please use caution and NEVER drive over or attempt to move fallen powerlines," the NWS Peachtree City Facebook page read on Sunday morning.
To see the latest information from Georgia Power about outages, please go to: https://outagemap.georgiapower.com/. Walton EMC outages can be been tracked here: https://www.waltonemc.com/customer-service/report-an-outage/outage-map/.
Saturday night weather update
The Athens area remains under a winter weather threat for Saturday night and Sunday, with snow and ice possible along with wind gusts up to 40 mph.
The latest update from the National Weather Service, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, indicated that Clarke, Oconee and Oglethorpe counties were under moderate threat, with up to 2 inches of snow possible. The greater threat would be the possibility of ice and strong wind gusts.
Barrow, Jackson and most of Madison counties were considered under "major" threat, with 2-4 inches of snow and up to 1/2 inch of ice possible.
Friday weather update: Winter storm could spread snow, ice over the Athens area Saturday and Sunday
More: Gov. Brian Kemp declares state of emergency ahead of winter storm in North Georgia
In a social media posts warning residents about the potential danger, the Oconee County Sheriff's office warns: "Once the weather hits, everyone should limit unnecessary travel as there is a possibility of dangerous black ice on the roadways."
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The Athens Banner-Herald will update this story with the latest from the National Weather Service as information becomes available.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens GA weather update: Snow, ice possible, strong winds to continue
