by Ty Tagami | Jan 25, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Most of Georgia dodged the punches of the winter storm that has been pummeling the nation, but state emergency officials warned Sunday afternoon that it is not over yet.
“Although we have had a lull in the storm this morning, we are still expecting another round of freezing rain in northeast Georgia this afternoon,” state emergency management director Josh Lamb said.
Winter Storm Fern was expected to dump more rain as temperatures drop below freezing across northern parts of the state, raising the likelihood of treacherous road conditions Monday and more downed trees and power lines.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were about 80,000 power outages, mostly in metro Atlanta and the northeast corner of the state, concentrated in a wedge fanning out east and south from Ga. 400 to I-20.
Transportation workers have treated 18,000 miles of roadway with 1.5 million gallons of brine and 2,500 tons of salt and rock fragments. Traffic volume was down 70% to 80% from a typical Sunday.
Even so, a couple dozen state routes were closed at some point during the storm, and there had been 25 crashes by Sunday afternoon, including one involving a brine truck.
Col. Billy Hitchens of the state Department of Public Safety urged those who take to the roads to drive at an “appropriate” speed, which may be below the posted limit, and to leave more space than normal between themselves and other vehicles.
Gov. Brian Kemp authorized the use of 500 members of the National Guard, but so far Maj. Gen. Dwayne Wilson said he had deployed only about 120 of them. They are primarily helping to clear roads for first responders and power crews, mostly in Raybun, Stephens and White counties, he said.
In many areas, temperatures are forecast to remain above freezing into Sunday night before dropping below 32 degrees in the early morning. That would leave the rain less time to freeze onto limbs, making trees top heavy.
But the wet ground combined with high winds can still increase the risk of power outages.
“You can still see downed trees and power lines this evening because the ground is saturated, and we have the winds gusting 20 to 30 miles per hour,” said Will Lanxton, the state meteorologist. “It doesn’t take that much wind to down trees and power lines, but any areas that do see ice accumulations this evening and tonight are much more likely to see those downed power lines.”
As for Monday’s commute, Lamb urged people to stay home. Anyone who feels they must drive should carefully assess the road conditions in their area, he said. “But the best thing to do is stay off of it.”
by Ty Tagami | Jan 24, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — With an ice storm named Fern bearing down on Georgia Saturday afternoon, Gov. Brian Kemp activated the National Guard, staging 120 members to deploy to the northeast part of the state, where ice and wind were expected to cause the most disruption.
The Guardsmen will be organized into strike teams, deploying as needs arise, his office said. They are expected to help clear routes and assist as needed.
Georgia Power was expecting the storm to begin causing problems overnight, and said it had 10,000 personnel ready to restore power.
“The current forecast continues to predict freezing rain and subfreezing temperatures over several days, which is expected to cause power outages across a wide part of the state,” the company said Saturday evening. “Ice adds weight to tree branches, increasing the chances they will snap and fall onto power lines.”
Georgia EMC said it had extra utility poles, wires, connectors and transformers ready, with vendors on standby to supply more material.
In a briefing Thursday, state meteorologist Will Lanxton warned of extreme icing of up to an inch.
“When you’re talking an inch of ice, that rivals some of the biggest ice storms we’ve ever had in the state,” he said. “And not only are you talking about impossible travel conditions, you’re talking about power outages that may not be able to be fixed for days.”
by Ty Tagami | Jan 23, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Georgia emergency managers hope to avoid another weather catastrophe like in 2014, when what some called “Snomageddon” and others labeled the “Snowpocalypse” locked down metro Atlanta and beyond.
The nicknames were probably inappropriate, since the main culprit was ice rather than snow. It made roads impassable, freezing cars in place everywhere, including the interstates. And those lucky enough to make it home felt the chill when tree limbs entombed in heavy ice snapped then fell on power lines.
That is what is barreling toward much of Georgia again, with the first ice storm warning since that infamous day in 2014.
“The area that’s under an ice storm warning right now, which is most of North Georgia and north of I-20, should expect to see some significant ice accumulations. We’re talking a quarter of an inch to an inch of ice,” said Will Lanxton, the state meteorologist. “That is a lot of ice.”
If it comes to pass, he said, travel will be “difficult to impossible” for most affected areas.
That means crews will not be able to reach downed power lines. It means homes will get very cold, possibly for days.
“Tuesday morning, we’re getting some of the coldest air that we’ve had in North Georgia in years. We’re going to see single-digit low temperatures,” said Lanxton, who spoke at a news briefing Friday afternoon. “That’s temperature with wind chill closer to zero or maybe negatives. So Tuesday morning is going to be brutal cold.”
That means any ice that happens to melt if the thermometer climbs above 32 degrees Monday will simply refreeze.
Two steps forward, one step back.
The wind is another factor. Lanxton said he expects it to blow steadily at 10-15 m.p.h., with gusts of up to 30 m.p.h.
That is more bad news for trees, especially if they are laden with ice.
The basic message: get ready. Insulate water pipes and turn off water to outdoor spigots, opening them to relieve any pressure that can build when water expands as it freezes.
That is just the start.
Josh Lamb, the director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, said people in the affected area — metro Atlanta and northeast Georgia as far south as Augusta — should stock a few days’ supply of water and food and prepare a plan to get warm if the heating fails. State parks will have warming centers (find them at gastateparks.org\alerts) open starting at noon on Saturday, and so might some communities.
Stay informed by keeping external batteries charged so smartphones can operate over an extended period. Fuel up the car and load it with emergency supplies, including an ice scraper, though Lamb discouraged driving anywhere, with state Department of Transportation crews scheduled to pre-treat interstates around midnight Friday.
Have a backup communication plan for family members who may not be home when the weather hits.
“We all believe it’s not going to happen to us until it until it does,” Lamb said. “I would just tell everybody that this storm is significant enough, you need to be taking the proper preparations now and not wait until later because you may not have that opportunity.”
The state will open its emergency operations center at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Georgia Power has readied 10,000 personnel, recruiting contractors and utilities in Florida and other states.
When conditions are safe, the company said in a statement Friday, crews will work around the clock to restore power: “The company continues to encourage customers to be prepared to be without power should Winter Storm Fern cause extensive damage or make conditions difficult for power restoration – impassable or icy roads prolong outages following an ice storm.”
Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, is warning hopeful travelers to expect a bumpy ride. The Atlanta-based carrier cancelled flights in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas on Thursday. On Friday, the airline said to expect more cancellations in North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee and said it was expecting more schedule “adjustments” for Atlanta and the northeast on Saturday morning.
by Ty Tagami | Jan 23, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Voters in northwest Georgia will be going to the polls on March 10 to fill a newly vacated state Senate seat on the same day that they will decide whether the former occupant of that seat should rise to Congress.
The Georgia secretary of state’s office on Friday announced the special election date to replace former state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, scheduling the election for the same day as the special election for the vacant U.S. House district 14 that was held by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome.
Greene resigned in early January with a year left in her term. Moore is among the 22 candidates vying to succeed her. He resigned in mid-January when he qualified as a candidate for the U.S. House election.
Moore held Senate district 53, which represents Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Walker, and a portion of Floyd Counties. Candidate qualifying for that seat begins 9 a.m. on Jan. 29 and ends 1 p.m. on Feb. 2, at the secretary of state’s office in Atlanta. Feb. 9 is the last day for voters to register, with advance in-person absentee voting beginning Feb. 16. A runoff election, if needed, will be on April 7.
by Ty Tagami | Jan 22, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp announced a state of emergency for all Georgia counties Thursday ahead of a winter storm expected to dump snow and sleet onto the northern third of the state starting Saturday, potentially encasing the land in a layer of ice.
In an online briefing from Belgium Thursday, where he was traveling to promote trade, Kemp outlined state preparations for a wintry mix that could slicken roads and pull down power lines, darkening homes for days if temperatures remain as cold as predicted.
The governor said he had called up 500 National Guardsmen for deployment, if necessary. State agriculture and forestry crews are prepared with chainsaws to clear the way for power crews.
His main message: hunker down for the weekend.
“If you can just stay off the roads, that would be a big favor to us,” he said, noting that state police, utility crews and salt trucks need open roads to do their work.
The latter will begin brining roadways late Friday night or early Saturday morning. The governor placed the danger zone north of Interstate 20.
The National Weather Service has a winter storm watch in place in an east-west line just north of the Atlanta suburbs, dipping south as it moves to the east side of Georgia to take in Athens. The forecast calls for “heavy” mixed precipitation of up to two inches of snow and sleet, with ice accumulations of a quarter to three quarters of an inch.
Major potential impacts include travel disruptions and power outages as ice weighs down power lines and tree limbs that can break and fall on them.
Kemp said a drop in expected temperature of just a degree or two could push the danger line southward.
Josh Lamb, director of the state emergency management agency, advised filling cars with gas and emergency supplies, including snacks and blankets, and to drive cautiously on bridges and overpasses, which tend to ice up faster. But he also encouraged people to stay off the roads.
Lamb said Georgians should prepare their homes by covering pipes, cleaning gutters and stocking a three-day supply of food and water.
Prepare a way to keep cellphones charged while devising a communications backup plan for family members, he said. “Take precautions, don’t panic, and please stay informed and stay off the roads.”
