Gov. Brian Kemp said Georgia could be facing a “major winter storm” this weekend as sleet, freezing rain, and snow move into the state beginning Saturday, Jan. 24.
During a virtual press conference on Thursday morning, Kemp said he had already declared a state of emergency for the next seven days and called up the National Guard to stand by for deployment if necessary. The state’s emergency operations center is also open.
Kemp said state agencies were “on point and ready to roll” as weather forecasters have already put North Georgia under a winter storm watch from Friday night until Monday morning. As of 2 p.m., all of metro Atlanta was under the winter storm watch.
Kemp said the current forecast would put the major storm impact north of I-20, but that could change depending on temperatures.
The Georgia Department of Transportation will begin treating roads in the early hours of Saturday morning, north of I-20, Kemp said.
The governor, who is in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, said he had spoken to Georgia Power, which was already moving assets to be prepared for what may happen.
He advised residents to fill up gas tanks and get food and supplies now to “hunker down and stay at home.”
In response to the winter weather threat, Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools, DeKalb County Schools, and City Schools of Decatur preemptively cancelled weekend sporting events and other activities. Emory University and the AUC (Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta) campuses also announced they would be closed on Saturday and Sunday.
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