Strong wind could down trees, knock out power during Sunday's winter storm

Jan. 16—A winter weather advisory has been issued for Cobb and neighboring counties, as forecasters predict high winds and a mix of rain, sleet and snow Sunday that could down trees and endanger motorists.

Kennesaw State University announced it would close Sunday "out of an abundance of caution," and Gov. Brian Kemp Friday night declared a state of emergency for several dozen north Georgia counties, including Cobb.

Among other things, Kemp's order mobilizes 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops to help respond to the storm and bans price gouging.

As of 7 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service forecast winds of 20 to 25 mph after midnight, and early morning rain Sunday turning to a mix of rain and sleet by 4 a.m. Snow and sleet is expected between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, and a mix of rain and snow is expected after 3 p.m.

Accumulation of up to two inches of snow and a quarter inch of ice is possible in Cobb, according to a map the National Weather Service shared on social media Saturday.

Its forecast also predicts winds of 20 to 25 mph Sunday, with gusts reaching as high as 45 mph. Wind speed is expected to drop Sunday afternoon to 10 to 15 mph.

"We are highly concerned about downed trees and powerlines knocking out power through Sunday, so prepare now!" the National Weather Service's Atlanta office said on social media Saturday.

The Georgia Department of Transportation shared Saturday "three things Georgians should know today ahead of winter weather": Sunday's storm is "anticipated to impact a significant portion of our lane miles north of I-20," Georgians should "be ready to hunker down" and "avoid all non-essential travel" and, lastly, the department had already treated "nearly 20,000 lane miles of roads."

The Cobb County Department of Transportation, meanwhile, began pretreating county roads at 6 p.m. Saturday.