Winter Storm — North Fulton, Georgia

2014-01-28 to 2014-01-29 · North Fulton, Georgia

Event narrative

A significant winter storm impacted north and central Georgia on the 28th. Snow and sleet began late Tuesday morning, accumulating to widespread amounts of 1 to 3 inches of snow. Across the Metro Atlanta area, thousands of motorists were trapped on icy roads for several hours.

Wider weather episode

An arctic front pushed through the Southeast on the 27th, leaving very cold air in its wake. Behind the front, an area of moisture pushed north out of the Gulf on the 28th, spreading precipitation across north and central Georgia. With the surface cold air in place, the precipitation began as a mix of light sleet and snow across west central Georgia during the mid-morning hours on the 28th, and as the cold air continued to push south, rain across central Georgia changed over to freezing rain, ending as a sleet/snow mix by the evening of the 28th.

The complicating factor for this event was the fact that the high temperature for most of north Georgia occurred early on the 28th, with the strong cold air continuing to funnel in from the north behind the arctic front. Temperatures fell through the day, and at onset of snow in the Atlanta Metro area, temperatures were in the upper 20s. Massive gridlock ensued as businesses and schools let out just after noon on the 28th, with thousands of motorists stuck on roads for hours if not overnight. The significant societal impacts from this event made national news because of the gridlock in the Atlanta Metro area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 496422. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.