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Several schools close Wednesday due to weather

ATLANTA — Crews are still working to cleanup winter weather damage throughout the north Georgia and around the metro Atlanta area.

Severe Weather Team 2 has been monitoring the winter weather, with falling temperatures affecting Georgia interstates and roadways in the form of ice and black ice.

Several schools will be closed Wednesday due to the possibility of continued winter weather to the north Georgia area.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS

Banks, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Rabun, Towns, White counties schools’ will be closed Wednesday due to weather.

Gainesville City Schools, Lakeview Academy, and others are also closed Wednesday.

[Check the FULL LIST of closings and delays here]

FORSYTH COUNTY

Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik was in Forsyth County Tuesday, where damage remains, including trees down near houses.

“Our power went out after 11 o’clock last night,” a resident told Petchenik.

He was among 32,000 customers to lose power overnight Monday because of weather.

Authorities reported more than 350 trees down in the area Tuesday.

[Download the FREE Severe Weather Team 2 App]

Cherokee and Pickens counties were also affected by the winter weather.

Some are still without power in those areas.

CHEROKEE COUNTY

Channel 2’s Ross Cavitt was in Cherokee County Tuesday, where he saw trees blocking the roadways and power still out, all caused by ice that did not have the chance to melt.

“I have to work from home this week so that’s a major inconvenience,” a resident told Cavitt.

Traffic was stopped for more than four hours on a major roadway in the county Tuesday morning.

Ice was in place in many areas after freezing temperatures overnight lingered into the afternoon Tuesday.

Potentially record-low temperatures reached the Cherokee County area, Cavitt said.

Trees damaged cars and homes in Habersham County, where crews are still surveying the damage.

The southern part of the county was especially affected by the wintry mix, in cities such as Baldwin, where crews are still clearing trees from the roads.

Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Aaron Diamant went to Cornelia, where crews told him they were prepared to continue working into Wednesday.

“I’m grateful that I wasn’t in the car with my baby or anything else was with me,” a resident told Diamant.

Authorities reported downed trees, power lines down and dozens of wrecks caused by the slick roads and icy conditions.

POWER OUTAGES

Power outages continue throughout the metro and north Georgia regions, following massive outages Monday night.

Georgia Power reported an estimated 28,000 customers still without power Tuesday afternoon.

EMC reported 89,000 customers affected by outages at the time.

Power crews are still working to restore services throughout the state.

More than 300,000 people across north Georgia were without power Monday night.

Authorities warned of power lines down and said that anyone who sees one should report it to 911.

BANKS COUNTY

Channel 2’s Dave Huddleston was in Banks County Tuesday, where he talked to residents who said they saw a utility transformer explode Monday night.

“It made my ears rings a little bit, it was very loud,” a witness told Huddleston.

One woman told Huddleston she was hit by falling debris as she walked through Athens Monday night.

Melvin Bentley said he drove to the power office Tuesday morning to see when he would have power again. It had been nearly 10 hours since he lost power, he said.

“I have enough gas to last me for a couple days now,” he said. There are still an estimated 3,000 customers in the Banks County area without power.

DAMAGES

Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns says Forsyth County was hit hard, with more than one-fourth of an inch of ice accumulation.

Gwinnett Cherokee and Dawson counties also reported significant damage in some areas.

[Follow Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologists on Twitter: Glenn BurnsBrad NitzKaren MintonKatie WallsBrian Monahan]

NewsChopper 2 was above the scene of a downed tree as crews worked to clear it Tuesday morning.

We saw trees down in Cumming and Habersham counties, where ice covered trees and crashed onto a home. Crews worked to restore service throughout the county.

NewsChopper2 was there as a tree cut in half partially blocked a Habersham County road. Someone had cut part of the tree so that drivers could use the roadway again.

An oak tree snapped near its base, damaging a home on Cogburn Road in Milton.

We're continuing to monitor the cleanup and school closings for Wednesday. Watch Channel 2 Action News This Morning for the latest information. Stay with WSBTV.com, refresh this page, and follow us on Twitter for updates. LIKE our Facebook page to get breaking news and weather updates as they happen.

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