Winter storm warning issued for much of metro Atlanta

ATLANTA — A winter storm warning has been issued for much of the metro Atlanta area from 10 a.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Katie Walls says 2 to 4 inches of snow in the north Georgia mountains are possible.

Lower amounts of 1 to 2 inches of snow are possible on the south side of the metro area and along the southern fringe of the warning area.

Bartow, Carroll, Lumpkin, and Union Counties announced they will be closed Wednesday due to winter weather.

Rome City and Marietta City Schools will also be closed.

Kennessaw State University will also be closed Wednesday.

REAL TIME SCHOOL CLOSINGS

Severe Weather Team 2 has been tracking the winter weather around the clock.

Watch Channel 2 Action News at 4, 5, 6, and 11 and stay with WSBTV.com for the latest forecast updates.

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Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brian Monahan said some areas in the metro area saw half an inch of snow Tuesday morning.

Monahan says the snow mix started falling in the north metro Atlanta area around 5:30 a.m., as colder air moved in from the north.

The winter weather turned some roads into ice sheets and snow was caked onto some interstates. The hardest hit areas were on I-75 and 575 in Bartow, Cherokee and parts of Cobb counties.

https://twitter.com/MarkArum/status/570181316291010562

Another round of winter weather could follow this snow on Wednesday night into Thursday.

SCHOOLS DEAL WITH MORE SNOW

Cobb, Forsyth, Cherokee, Whitfield, Rabun, Lumpkin, Catoosa, Towns, Union, Pickens, Stephens, Gordon, Banks counties, Cartersville City and Dalton City Schools were closed Tuesday.

Marietta, Calhoun City Schools, Floyd County Schools, Rome City had a 2-hour delay.

Parents in Cobb County told Channel 2's Ross Cavitt Tuesday they were disappointed in the district's last-minute decisions to delay and close.

Fulton County Schools received praise and criticism for closing on Friday. District officials told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik it was out of an abundance of caution for the safety of their students.

Parent Alison Comer says she was disappointed her daughter missed a day of class.

“It was a nice day and she could have been at school. It would have been better if we could have saved it for a real snow day,” Comers said.

Parent Kristin Talbot learned about the closing late and had to scramble to find child care but was happy about the decision.

“In comparison to the panic of last year, being stuck on the side of the road, not being able to get my kids because the roads were icing, I prefer the safety and precaution of having them home that day,” Talbot told Petchenik.

A statement from the superintendent called the decision difficult to make, “But the safety of our students is always the first priority.”

Due to the winter storm warning, Governor Deal ordered a two-hour delayed opening Tuesday for state offices in Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Towns, Union and White counties.

WSBTV