Northern states typically laugh at us Southerners come wintertime. If you've ever discussed winter in Georgia with someone who lives in the Midwest or New England, their response was probably something like "does it snow in Georgia?" Those of us who live here know that it indeed does snow in the Peach State, particularly in the northern climes. We may not get the several feet of powder that other states do, but even just a few inches of snow can be dangerous here. Our citizens are generally not well-practiced at driving on icy roads, basic equipment like snow tires and snow plows are uncommon, and many people lack warm outerwear suitable for sub-freezing temperatures. Over the last few decades, we've had several especially cold winters in Georgia, and one of the coldest of all was in 2014.
If you lived in north Georgia in 2014, you likely remember Snowmageddon. Late January of that year saw 2.6 inches of snowfall that caused chaos in much of the state, particularly Atlanta.
The snow caused massive problems in the capital city, where motorists were stranded in their vehicles. Some people ran out of gas and ended up having to abandon their cars on the highway and walk through the snow.
Some drivers reported it taking over six hours just to drive 10 miles! It took nearly a full day for traffic to return to normal speeds.
The snow was beautiful, but caused massive amounts of damage. Estimates were that over $10 million dollars in property damage occurred between vehicles and burst pipes. Two people were killed.
Just a few weeks later, another big (for Georgia) snowstorm hit the northern part of the state. Two to four inches of snow fell throughout the region, which is a lot for an area that often only sees one or two inches in a year.
Oddly enough, December 2013 had seen warmer than average temperatures for much of the state. People were caught somewhat unaware by the much colder temperatures in January and February.
Multiple cities throughout the Peach State set records for daily low temperatures during those chilly months.
One fortunate result of this cold winter in Georgia was that local governments are generally now better prepared for severe cold weather.
For example, Atlanta has drastically increased the amount of road salt kept on hand throughout the winter. Hopefully, we won't end up stuck in our cars again any time soon!
Do you look forward to winter weather each year and find yourself praying for a white Christmas, or are you all about summertime in the Peach State? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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