Roads could be slippery today

Published 11:40 pm Friday, February 10, 2006

North Georgia remains under a Winter Weather Advisory until 9 this morning, meaning a mixture of rain, snow or sleet could cause slippery roads and limited visibility in the early morning hours.

The advisory was issued about 4 p.m. Friday by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, as a strong storm system organizing over the lower Mississippi Valley began moving rapidly eastward along a line north of Summerville, Dawsonville and Cleveland, Ga.

With surface temperatures not expected to stay below freezing very long, significant accumulation was not expected — though brief accumulations of 1-to-3 inches were possible on bridges, overpasses and in higher elevations inside the 15-county region.

“It could continue until 9 a.m., but it looks like it’s not a real opportunity for a long snow event like Knoxville (Tenn.) could see,” said meteorologist Steve Nelson. “It will turn back to rain before a 30 percent chance of snow (tonight).”

A 60 percent chance of rain is expected before 1 p.m. today, with a high reaching near 41. A 30 percent chance of more snow is expected tonight as the low falls to about 29, which could create a few problems for those on their way to Sunday School.

“These kinds of patterns result from narrow bands of precipitation that can be influenced by minute changes in air flow,” Nelson said. “There may actually be zones, almost like lake effect, where air coming up and over the mountains creates bands of snow.”

An expected high of 39 on Sunday should clear any accumulation away, but as the low falls to about 25 Sunday night, a few more flurries could fly.

“A 10-20 percent chance of snow usually means just flurries,” said Nelson, who predicted no problems with black ice, which results from a freezing drizzle turning to ice under cold winds.

The school and work week is expected to get off to a clear start, with predicted highs of 42 on Monday and 52 on Tuesday, and sunny skies.