Winter Storm in Oconee County, Georgia

An estimated 2-3 inches of snow have blanketed Oconee County. Snow changed over to a mix of sleet and freezing rain by early afternoon, with an additional 1/10 to 1/4 inch of ice accumulation on top of the snow. All precipitation ended late in the day. All roads were covered with snow and/or ice. Vehicles are sliding out everywhere (morning report).

An Arctic airmass was entrenched across the eastern United States during mid-January. As an area of low pressure developed over the northern coast of the Gulf and pushed eastward, moisture spread northward into the lingering cold airmass beginning during the early morning hours of January 10th. Temperatures throughout the atmospheric column were initially cold enough for snow across north Georgia on the morning of Friday, January 10th. However, warm air advection aloft led to a changeover to mostly freezing rain across most of north Georgia by the afternoon and evening hours. By the time the precipitation ended, several inches of snow as well as one-tenth to one-third of an inch of freezing rain had accumulated across most of north Georgia.