The second winter storm of 2025 may have passed, but black ice will remain a concern for most of Georgia on Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning, the National Weather Service warned.
Even in areas that received minimal snow, ice may not be melting. Temperatures will only be above freezing by a few degrees and for a few hours Wednesday, according to the NWS.
Roads are likely to refreeze overnight with bitter temperatures returning after sunset, and they will remain hazardous Thursday morning.
In Atlanta, temps Wednesday night will be in the 20s and won’t rise above freezing until noon Thursday.
The southern half of the state will be under a cold weather advisory from 10 p.m. Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday. Very cold temperatures, as low as 10-15 degrees, are expected, the NWS said.
The storm dumped several inches of snow in southern cities that haven’t seen something like this in decades, and brought about 1 to 2 inches to parts of metro Atlanta.
Some motorists had to abandon cars as they drove home on slick roads Tuesday night, and some difficult conditions remained Wednesday. Several serious crashes were reported across the state, including on I-75, causing closures, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Wednesday’s temperatures did not climb much above freezing, leaving little opportunity for the ice to melt and dissipate.
MARTA bus and streetcar operations remained on pause Wednesday. Rail services began operating on a weekend schedule, and “full service will resume as conditions improve,” the transportation authority said.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remained open Wednesday despite more than 430 flight cancellations. Regional airports in Columbus, Macon, Albany and Valdosta were closed as of 1:30 p.m.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Some areas in Middle and South Georgia got more than 6 inches of snow, with Cordele appearing to receive about 9 inches — the most in the state, according to preliminary numbers reported by the NWS. Cordele’s previous record was 3.5 inches in 1973.
In downtown Brunswick, excited families ventured outside Wednesday morning to find their coastal town blanketed in a thick layer of ice and snow. Icicles dangled from palm trees and giant oaks as children threw snowballs and slid across the asphalt on skim boards typically used at the beach.
For many, it was their first time experiencing snow.
Whitaker Wills had only ever seen old, frozen snow on a family trip, his mother said. This was his first time actually seeing it fall.
“I really like it,” the 9-year-old said as he played in front of his home. “I like throwing the snowballs.”
Jay Cason, who has spent his whole life in Brunswick, said snow last accumulated here 36 years ago.
“I was their age,” he said, pointing to his children, who are 10 and 13. “This is awesome! It’s really neat.”
Thousands of homes along Georgia’s coast were still without power Wednesday afternoon.
Georgia Power reports more than 25,000 customers are affected by outages statewide. Georgia EMC, which represents dozens of electric cooperatives across the state, reported its members had more than 6,000 customers without power at around 4 p.m. Most customers without electricity are concentrated around Brunswick and southern portions of Georgia’s coast.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GDOT snowplows hit the roads starting Tuesday night, working to clear highways. The southern half of the state has more than 25,000 miles of roadway to cover, Commissioner Russell McMurry said at a news briefing before the storm hit.
“We’re asking everybody to just, please, give time. That means stay at home. Try to stay off the roadways,” he said. “We’ll stay with it until we can finish and make sure it’s safe.”
— Staff writers Rosana Hughes, Drew Kann, David Aaro and Emma Hurt contributed to this article.
