Winter Storm in Gilmer County, Georgia

Snow began to fall by mid-morning across Gilmer County, becoming heavy at times. Widespread 2 to 4 inches of snow accumulations, with localized amounts up to 6 inches, occurred by early afternoon. The snow gradually mixed with sleet and freezing rain during the afternoon that resulted in an additional 1/10 to 1/4 inch of ice accumulation on top of the snow. Numerous roads, especially those untreated, were very difficult to travel on, if not impassable.

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.