Cobb begins thawing out from winter storm: Thursday mid-day closings, weather, roads, schools update

NWS Snowfall Map, Cobb winter storm

As temperatures climbed toward freezing this morning, Cobb County government offices and libraries opened, and road clean-up continued, aided by some very welcome sunshine.

Late last night, Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said that around 200 accident calls were reported to county 911 dispatchers within the first 24 hours of the storm, including 15 stranded motorists, 10 hit-and-run incidents and two needing fire extrication from their vehicles.

No serious injuries have been reported, but the roads are still icy and slushy in some places.

Earlier this morning Cobb DOT said there were 50 reports of black ice throughout the county overnight:

Most major roads in good shape but side streets, especially those in shade, remain problematic. Be safe if you are venturing out. Fortunately traffic is light.

If you’re a CobbLinc rider, local and paratransit service began at noon, but XPress bus services are cancelled today.

Temperatures could reach the high 30s or even 40 by mid afternoon, with lows tonight and overnight falling back into the mid-to-low 20s.

Then it’s getting warmer starting Friday, and for most of next week. Friday’s highs could get into the low 50s and by Sunday we could get into the high 60s.

Related story

We a few updates about openings, closings, cancellations and postponements from East Cobb businesses, faith communities and other organizations beyond what was posted on the link just above, but we’ll keep adding to this list below during the afternoon.

We’ll also update with news about whether Cobb schools will have classes Friday. They’re closed again today, and today’s school board meetings have been postponed to next Thursday.

We’ll also be catching up with some other news that we’ve been wanting to post here the last couple days—and there’s a lot going on to share in East Cobb—starting later today and tomorrow as well.

Thursday openings

  • Transfiguration Catholic Church
  • XenGo Fusion Kitchen & Sushi
  • The Avenue East Cobb
  • Ted’s Montana Grill
  • Johnny’s New York Pizza
  • Book Exchange
  • St. Andrew UMC, at 1 p.m.
  • Once and Again Books
  • The Art Place-Mountain View, at 1 p.m.
  • East Cobb and NE Cobb YMCA open until 7 p.m.

Thursday closings/cancellations

  • Tonight’s Walton PTSA open house and general meeting
  • All practices/activities for East Marietta Basketball
  • The Cobb Watershed Stewardship program’s Privet Pull Mob for this afternoon at Noonday Creek Park

Send your weather news and photos and we’ll post it here: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

 

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Wednesday winter weather update: Cobb government closed; motorists asked not to travel as roads remain icy; closures, delayed openings and more

Winter Storm, Jan. 17, 2018
Many areas of East Cobb got a half-inch to an inch of snow Tuesday; temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until Thursday.

Here’s your mid-day Wednesday Cobb winter weather update, and we’ll keep adding more information as we get it the rest of the afternoon:

Cobb County government offices will be closed all day today because of the icy road conditions, and with temperatures not expected to rise out of the 20s.

That includes courts, public libraries and all CobbLinc bus service. Late last night county officials had indicated a delayed starting time of 10 a.m., but road conditions have made it hazardous to travel, as ice is packed under snow.

Related story

Accidents are taking place in many areas; Marietta Police said this morning that at least 15 accidents have taken place in the city, and that number is expected to climb. There’s no word yet on major accidents in the East Cobb area, but we will update any information that becomes available.

Any roads with melting ice are expected to refreeze tonight, and crews will be back out treating major routes. The Cobb Commute link has updates on roads that have been treated.

Cobb government sent out this message via social media earlier this morning:

Cobb DOT crews spent the night treating roadways and crews continue to work the roads, now on their second run over their countywide routes. But as the snowfall moves out, the number of accidents in the county has increased, with police reporting some hills and bridges impassable.

County officials will get more updates from the DOT crews and make a determination later today when to resume operations.

Related story

After Tuesday’s snow, temperatures fell dramatically below freezing. Cobb DOT had work crews out all night and into the morning, but because of icy conditions and sub-freezing temperatures into Thursday afternoon, motorists are advised not to get out on to the roads unless they have to.

As of 11 a.m. Cobb schools have not communicated any new information, including whether there will be classes on Thursday.

As of this writing the temperatures are in the mid teens in East Cobb, with highs projected only in the low to mid-20s. Lows tonight are forecast to fall back into the teens, with highs in the 40s expected on Thursday, but not until the afternoon.

East Cobb News will continue to update this post during the day with the latest information about closures, cancellations, postponements and other weather-related news.

Send your weather news, and photos if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them.

What follows below are the latest closings/delayed openings/cancellations/postponements from this morning, not including those we posted last night on the link above:

Closings

  • Mass and all activities at Holy Family Catholic Church
  • Dog City Bakery
  • Haven, The Dog Spot
  • Tritt Animal Hospital
  • Rescued Too
  • Johnny’s New York Pizza
  • Ronald Sachs Violins
  • East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA
  • All activities at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation
  • LGE Community Credit Union
  • All Fidelity Bank branches
  • Kids’ Zone Daycare and Learning Center
  • Club Pilates East Cobb
  • Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant
  • Montrose Animal Hospital
  • Studio 348 for Women
  • Book Nook Marietta
  • Office and activities at St. Andrew UMC
  • Peace Love and Pizza
  • All activities at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church
  • Gigi’s Cupcakes
  • Once & Again Books Shallowford
  • Cat Clinic of Cobb
  • Book Exchange
  • Chick-fil-A Lassiter
  • All activities at Eastminster Presbyterian Church
  • Offices and all acitivities at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
  • Intrigue Salon
  • Kids Kuts Salon
  • Atlanta Swim Academy
  • Three-13 Salon
  • Righteous Que
  • Free-Flite Bicycles
  • Mansouri Family Dental Care
  • All activities at Eastside Baptist Church
  • Parisian Nail Salon
  • Massage Heights East Cobb

Openings

  • Zaxby’s Lower Roswell Road, 11 a.m.
  • Muss & Turner East Cobb, noon
  • Frankie’s Italian restaurant, Roswell Road
  • Loyal Q, 11 a.m.
  • Winston’s Food and Spirits
  • Terrell Mill Animal Hospital, 10 a.m.
  • Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square, open until 4 p.m.
  • Marietta Donuts, open until 5 p.m.
  • Marietta Fish Market, 4 p.m. depending on road conditions
  • Chick-fil-A East Lake
  • The Wing Cafe and Tap House
  • WellStar East Cobb Health Park
  • Marietta Ice Center revised schedule for public skating sessions: 1:15-3:15 p.m.; 3:30-6 p.m.; 6:15-8:45 p.m.

Cancellations

  • East Cobb UMC Wednesday Night Supper

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Cobb schools closed Wednesday; county included in state of emergency; updated closures/cancellations/delayed openings

NWS Snowfall Map

Updated Wednesday story, 12 p.m.

UPDATED, 8:35 P.M. and 10:55 P.M. Tuesday

Shortly before 8:30 tonight, the Cobb County School District announced that Cobb schools will be closed on Wednesday, for students and staff, “due to road and travel conditions.”

Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for 83 counties in Georgia, including Cobb, and non-essential state government offices will be closed Wednesday.

Cobb DOT crews are working in 12-hour shifts, starting at 5 p.m. today, and switching to fresh crews at 5 a.m. Wednesday, to treat major roads with a salt and gravel mix as between a half-inch to an inch of snow is forecast to fall on Cobb, and turn to ice as temperatures reached freezing.

Cobb County government is on a delayed opening Wednesday until 10 a.m., including libraries.

With the wind chill, temperatures in the morning could feel as cold as several degrees below zero. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Cobb and most of north Georgia until 10 a.m. Wednesday and a wind chill advisory is in effect until 7 a.m.

CobbLinc will delay the start of all bus services until 10 a.m.

Snowfall began falling in East Cobb a little after 7 tonight, as temperatures fell to around the freezing mark.

The Walker School also is closed on Wednesday, as are Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, the Wood Acres School, Gracepoint School and Faith Lutheran School.

All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closed on Wednesday, but dining services will continue. All campuses of Chattahoochee Tech also will be closed Wednesday.

The Eastside Christian School open house scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week to Jan 24 at 9:30 a.m. All classes are cancelled Wednesday.

The St. Catherine’s Episcopal preschool is closed Wednesday, as is the St. Ann Catholic preschool.

At Transfiguration Catholic Church, preschool, PREP classes and Adult Education classes are cancelled Wednesday, and perpetual adoration will be closed until noon.

The Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon Wednesday has been cancelled.

The East Cobb YMCA and Northeast Cobb YMCA are delaying opening until 10 a.m.

Olde Towne Athletic Club is opening at noon Wednesday.

More updates will posted here as they become available.

ORIGINAL REPORT, posted 4:55 p.m.: 

With public and private schools already having cancelled Tuesday evening events, here’s the latest Cobb winter storm update. We’ll keep posting additional information as we have it, including any news about Cobb schools for Wednesday.

The Cobb County School District has been saying this afternoon that “a decision about school for Wednesday will be made either late tonight or early tomorrow morning.”

Send your news about cancellations/postponements to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll add it here.

Weather Conditions

From the National Weather Service, precipitation is expected to come through a line from Carrollton to Canton and into northeastern Georgia around 6 p.m. tonight (as shown in map above), and as temperatures plunge dramatically.

Temperatures were in the high 40s in the East Cobb area around 4:30 p.m., but dropping temperatures, along with the wind chill, could make it feel a few degrees below zero overnight and into early Wednesday morning.

Closings/cancellations/postponements

  • Cobb County government, including libraries, is closing at 6 tonight, and programs and events scheduled for tonight are cancelled or rescheduled. All government offices, agencies and facilities are slated to open on a delayed basis on Wednesday at 10 a.m.;
  • The East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA branches are cancelling all after school activities, as well as paid programming. The branches plan to stay open until 7:30;
  • Transfiguration Catholic Church is cancelling all evening parish activities and meetings, PREP classes and adult ed classes, and Perpetual Adoration is closed from 6 tonight to noon Wednesday. Tonight’s 7 p.m.  Mass will be held “as long as the weather holds up,” according to a social media post from around 1 p.m.;
  • St. Ann Catholic has cancelled Wednesday Mass services at 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.;
  • The Walker School is cancelling all after school-activities, including practices and games;
  • The Wood Acres After School Tree House is closing at 5 p.m.
  • After-school care at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy is closing at 5 p.m. and North campus athletics are cancelled;
  • All after-school activities at Eastside Christian Academy will conclude at 5:30, and pickup is required by that time. JV basketball games at Mt. Paran are cancelled;
  • All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closing at 5 p.m., and all night classes after that are cancelled;
  • The same goes for all campuses at Chattahoochee Tech, closing at 5 p.m.;
  • The Walton High School wrestling team’s picture day and senior night event scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week, to Jan. 24.

Cobb DOT/Roads

The Cobb DOT road maintenance division has been pretreating roads with brine this morning and is treating roads with salt and gravel mix on designated major routes this afternoon. Between a half-inch and an inch of snow is expected in Cobb. A total of 15 crews will be rolling out by 5 p.m., with another similar number of crews to follow at 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Emergency Information

The Cobb 911 office issued this information around 3 p.m. Tuesday:

Cobb County and much of North Georgia is preparing for the possibility of hazardous weather. Here are some numbers that you might need. Call these numbers instead of 911 if there is not an emergency. Call 911 if you need the fire department, an ambulance or the police. 911 is unable to give time frames on power outages.

Do Not Call 911 unless it is a life-threatening emergency. This would include someone who is utilizing life-sustaining equipment that requires electricity. 911 will not report your outage to any utility company.

Cobb EMC
770-429-2100
CobbEMC.com

Georgia Power
888-660-5890
GeorgiaPower.com

Marietta Power & Water (Marietta City)
770-794-5150
MariettaGA.gov/151/Power-Water

Cobb County Water System
770-423-1000
CobbCounty.org

Cobb County Police (non-emergency)
770-499-3911

 

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Winter Wonderland in East Cobb: Latest closings, cancellations, outages as cleanup continues

East Cobb Winter Weather
Snowfall estimates in Cobb County range from two to eight inches, and freezing temperatures are in the Saturday night forecast.

UPDATED, 4:30 P.M. SATURDAY: 

Shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, Cobb EMC indicated that around 16,000 customers were still without power combined in all of its five counties of service, with the following numbers of customers without power in the following East Cobb ZIP codes:

  • 30062: 1,624
  • 30066: 2,621
  • 30067: 536
  • 30068: 990
  • 30075: 1,620 (Cobb and Fulton)

In a Tweet sent out at 4:15 p.m., Cobb EMC said its hardest-hit areas that remained in East Cobb were along Lower Roswell Road, Little Willeo Road, Timber Ridge Road and Sandy Plains Road.

Here’s a Cobb EMC outage map to check for further updates.

Georgia Power doesn’t have a number of customers still needing power to be restored, and says it can’t give estimates on when the lights will go back on, but also has been updating an outage map.

Although temperatures have risen above freezing this afternoon, and combined with sunshine have caused some melting of snow, state and local officials are urging citizens to stay home for the rest of Saturday, since freezing temperatures will be in effect.

All of metro Atlanta and north Georgia has been subjected to downed trees and power lines, and work is underway to clear them.

At 3 p.m. Cobb government sent a message saying that the county DOT is undertaking tree removal tasks.

“Most main roads are considered to be in good shape,” the DOT message said, indicating that crews will be out again on Sunday “to make sure every road is open by the end of the weekend.”

Residents should report downed trees by calling Cobb County 911.

The Bethlehem Walk holiday event scheduled for 7-9 Saturday at Mountain View United Methodist Church has been cancelled, as it was on Friday.

SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICE UPDATES:

While some businesses—and especially restaurants—have decided to open today, at least for dinner service, many remain closed. The weather situation also is prompting some churches to call off or reschedule not only holiday events scheduled for the weekend, but also Sunday services. Here’s what we have thus far:

  • Piedmont Church will not be holding Sunday services after earlier cancelling its Christmas Festival that had been scheduled for Friday and Saturday;
  • Johnson Ferry Baptist Church has cancelled its Christmas Festival services that were scheduled for 4 and 7 today. The Sunday Christmas Festival services slated for 4 and 7 on Sunday are still on for now, and a service has been added for 7 p.m. Monday to make up for today’s cancellations. The 8:30 a.m. worship service and related Bible Studies or activities will be held on Sunday, but the 9:50 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. worship services and Bible Studies, and activities scheduled around them are still on;
  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is holding regular worship services Saturday and Sunday;
  • St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church is holding one combined service at 11:15 a.m. Church school classes and the 7:45 and 8:45 services are cancelled;
  • Mt. Zion United Methodist Church also is holding just one service Sunday, at 11 a.m.;
  • Catholic Church of St. Ann will have most regular Sunday services and events as scheduled, except for hospitality hour;
  • Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church will have an 11 a.m. service only at its Lower Roswell campus. Here’s more, per the church’s Facebook page: “Nursery will be available, but all Sunday school classes and breakfast are cancelled, and shuttles will not run. Carols for Christmas is still planned for 6pm. North Campus will hold its 10:30 service only. All other NC activities are cancelled.”

We’ve got other openings/closings/cancellations listed below that we posted earlier, with some additions.

Send us your photos and news!

  • Share your winter weather pictures, and we’ll post them, as well as business or other closings or cancellations. E-mail editor@eastcobbnews.com.

ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED AT 11:37 A.M. SATURDAY:

By mid-morning Saturday, the sun was starting to sneak out in East Cobb, and some of Friday’s record snowfall was starting to melt away.

But citizens throughout metro Atlanta and north Georgia are being asked to stay off the roads if at all possible today as work crews travel to repair downed electrical lines and trees, restore power and prepare roads for sub-freezing temperatures tonight.

So you’re being asked to enjoy this holiday winter wonderland at home, at least for another day.

As was the case on Friday, many East Cobb businesses are closed, holiday and other events have been cancelled or postponed all day Saturday.

There are still some Georgia Power and Cobb EMC customers without power in East Cobb, although western and more northern portions of the county were harder hit.

Georgia Power has been posting most of the morning that it is not able to give estimated times for restoration of power. It is updating on its outage map.

Cobb EMC is reporting “high volume with our outage reporting channels,” and also is tracking via an outage map that is working intermittently.

More than 30,000 Cobb EMC customers in the county are without power, including an estimated 7,500 customers in the East Cobb area.

Of those East Cobb outages, around 3,200 have been reported in the 30066 ZIP Code of Northeast Cobb. Cobb EMC has asked for outside help from crews in middle Georgia and other parts of the state as it works to restore power.

Cobb EMC is asking those without power to call 770-429-2100. If the call volume is high (you’re likely to get a constant busy signal), e-mail your outage to memberservices@cobbemc.com. While you won’t get a reply, Cobb EMC said it is logging all e-mails.

Traffic accidents have been reported just about everywhere, with vehicles stranded beside roads, and the hazards of downed trees and power lines are widespread. Here’s what Cobb DOT issued right before 10 a.m. Saturday:

  • Major roads are mostly passable, but avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary;

  • Reports of 100 trees down countywide, crews are still in the process of clearing 50 of those;

  • Another 1.5 inches of snow fell overnight. Reports of 7+ inches in parts of the county are common.

Here’s another update from Cobb DOT, sent at 11:20 a.m.:

Cobb DOT crews working 12-hour shifts have kept most of the main roads passable, but the 911 center has taken hundreds of calls about trees down many blocking roads. Cobb DOT is calling in extra tree-cutting crews at noon to help PARKS crews already dealing with the increasing amount of calls.

Cobb residents that encounter trees blocking roadways or on power lines should report those locations to Cobb County 911.

“We’re hoping the sun stays out and the breeze helps clear the moisture off the roadways,” said Bill Shelton, Cobb County Road Maintenance Division Manager. “If the roads can dry up before temperatures drop back below freezing that would be the best-case scenario.”

Most of the main roads closed by downed trees had been reopened by 11 a.m., but other calls were coming in. Road sensors across the county were reporting temperatures several degrees above freezing.

Here’s else what we know, as of 10:30-11 a.m. or so, about what’s open and what’s not in East Cobb, and what’s been cancelled. Some of this information is obviously very fluid and subject to change. We’re getting e-mails and monitoring social media traffic for most of these items, so please let us know if we need to make a correction/update.

We will be posting significant updates at the top of this post if/when they become available:

CLOSED/CANCELLED

  • All Cobb public library branches, Cobb Linc service also will be out of operation;
  • Piedmont Church Christmas Festival is cancelled and is not being rescheduled;
  • All Upward Basketball games and pictures have been cancelled at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, as have today’s Christmas Festival services. They’re still on for Sunday at 4 and 7 and a 7 p.m. Monday service that’s been added;
  • Righteous Que restaurant is closed;
  • Montrose Animal Hospital is closed, Saturday appointments will be rescheduled starting Monday, dropoff for pets with boarding reservations accepted until 2 p.m. today around the back;
  • Chattahoochee Nature Center is closed all day;
  • All Saturday services at Transfiguration Catholic Church are cancelled, as well as the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass;
  • C’est Moi is closed all day Saturday.

OPENINGS/DELAYED STARTS

  • Loyal Q and Brew restaurant opening at 11 a.m. with limited staff on hand;
  • The WellStar East Cobb Urgent Care is open from noon to 7 p.m. today;
  • Simply Fresh Market is open from 12-4 today;
  • Chick-fil-A Lassiter is tentatively opening between 11:30 a.m. and noon with a limited menu;
  • Rose and Crown Tavern is closed for lunch and is tentatively planning to open for dinner service at 6 p.m.;
  • Seed, Stem Wine Bar and Drift are opening for dinner service at 5 p.m.;
  • Bradley’s Bar & Grill and Zeal Restaurant & Bar are both open Saturday;
  • Frankie’s Italian Restaurant on Roswell Road opened at 12 pm.;
  • WZ Tavern on Shallowford Road is open Saturday;
  • GTC Merchants Walk Cinema is open Saturday;
  • Both locations of Moxie Burger and La Novia Taqueria will be open until 8 p.m. Saturday;
  • Black Swan Tavern opening was delayed to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Some East Cobb social media postings to share below, illustrating the depth of the snow, and the danger of the ice underneath that will be freezing again tonight:

Didn’t see that one coming! Wow!! Consistent 9.5-10″ at my house❄☃⛄#snowday#snowpocalypse2017pic.twitter.com/bFtGsiwT5x — Peter Giles (@_WHSPrincipal) December 9, 2017

 

Send news of opening/closing/cancellations and photos of the snow near you to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

 

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EAST COBB WEATHER CLOSINGS: Schools, government, roads, businesses, holiday events and more

East Cobb weather closings
The start of Friday’s snow in East Cobb, which got between 2-4 inches in two waves of storms. A winter storm warning is in effect for Cobb County, metro Atlanta and most of north Georgia until 10 a.m. Saturday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

UPDATED, 8 P.M. FRIDAY:

The National Weather Service has extended its winter storm warning that includes Cobb to 10 a.m. Saturday, as a second wave of snow and winter weather passed through metro Atlanta and north Georgia late Friday afternoon.

Cobb was expected to get between 2-4 inches of snow overall, but those amounts are likely to vary.

Roads in Cobb and elsewhere are becoming increasingly treacherous, as Cobb DOT, Georgia DOT and other crews work to brine roadways, bridges and overpasses overnight Friday. Temperatures have generally dropped below freezing in Cobb and Saturday’s high is expected to be only 40 degrees.

The chance of “black ice” is one of the major concerns, as well as the possibility of falling trees and reduced visibility on roads due to the unexpectedly heavy amounts of snow.

Cobb libraries will be closed on Saturday, after closing at noon on Friday along with other Cobb government offices and facilities.

The second blanket of snow came through metro Atlanta later Friday evening, behind early afternoon storms that prompted school, government, business and many other closures, and as commuters, buses and other vehicles created an early, messy rush hour.

Check the Georgia DOT 511 Navigator for updated conditions, including closures and accidents.

Georgia DOT is urging motorists to treat an intersection with traffic light outages as a four-way stop. They should also call 511 to report outages when they reach a safe destination.

Georgia Power and Cobb EMC were reporting scattered outages. As of 6:30 p.m., Cobb EMC reported that its outage reporting channels were down and they’re working to fix the problem.

Cobb EMC customers who have lost power can download an outage on the Cobb EMC app or call 770-429-2100. The web link still wasn’t working as of 7:30 p.m. but an link can be found here that will link to detailed outage information when it’s available online.

(At 9 p.m. Friday an East Cobb News reader called to say that the Cobb EMC power outage phone number was down, and had been down for about an hour.)

Most of the estimated 5,500 Cobb EMC customers without power as of 8 p.m. were in western and north Cobb, with outages also being reported in several parts of Northeast Cobb.

Georgia Power is asking its customers to consult its outage map but has indicated it is not able to estimate when power may restored to an affected area.

Some closings for Saturday to report are below. E-mail us at: editor@eastcobbnews.com with your news of closings, and any weather photos to share. We’ll keep updating as long as we’re in a pre-Christmas Winter Wonderland:

  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church has postponed Saturday’s Breakfast With Santa until next Saturday, Dec. 16, at 9 a.m.;
  • All events/classes at Studio 348 for Women have been cancelled for Saturday;
  • East Cobb Pediatrics will be closed Saturday;
  • Club Pilates East Cobb is closed Saturday;
  • St. Andrew UMC is postponing its Christmas concert to 6:30 p.m. Sunday (updating information below in this post about a 2 p.m. start);
  • All parish activities at Transfiguration Catholic Church will be postponed until noon Saturday. The Saturday 9 a.m. Mass will be held if weather permits.

Original report, with some updates from earlier Friday afternoon:  

We’re keeping an updated tab on East Cobb weather closings for Friday, with the announcements earlier today of the early release of Cobb schools and the closing of Cobb government at noon.

Here’s what Cobb DOT sent out around 1:15 p.m. Friday:

“With conditions on Cobb County roadways deteriorating faster than expected, Cobb County Department of Transportation called in crews early and began treating trouble spots.  By 12:30 traffic slowed to a crawl on many of the county’s roadways and crews manned trucks with salt to head out to the worse areas.

“DOT’s Road Maintenance Division planned on running full shifts until 2 pm Saturday, concerning falling temperatures could cause icing.  Some crews concentrated at areas around schools where Cobb’s Elementary Schools, the last to dismiss early, would send buses out at 1:30 pm.

“The division’s full complement of trucks, 15 vehicles in all, will run predetermined routes treating much of the county’s 2500 miles of roadways, including state highways.

“Traffic maps at cobbcommute.org showed many of the county’s thoroughfares either running very slow or at a standstill. Officials urged people not already on the roads to avoid going out until the system moves away.”

Temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are staying around freezing all day, and will be plummeting below that by Friday evening.

Information about closings is coming via e-mail, social media posts and other sources. If you know of closings (schools, businesses, churches, organizations, etc.), and especially planned activities, please let us know and we’ll share it with the community. E-mail news, photos, etc. to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

Related coverage:

Cobb schools are on early release, with the last phase elementary school students at 1:30 p.m. There will be NO extracurricular activities, including the ACT testing, which will be rescheduled

Most private schools in East Cobb are either under an early release or have closed.

Cobb government closed at 12 p.m., including libraries, which will be monitoring road conditions to determine whether to open on Saturday.

The Cobb government closures also include The Art Place-Mountain View (3330 Sandy Plains Road), and tonight’s Center Stage North performance of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” has been cancelled.

East Cobb weather closings
Roswell Road at WellStar East Cobb Health Park, shortly after 12 p.m. Friday (From Georgia 511 camera)

Send us your photos and news!

  • Share your winter weather pictures, and we’ll post them! If you know of school, church, business or other closings or cancellations too! E-mail editor@eastcobbnews.com.

Here are the latest updates about openings/closings for local businesses, organizations, churches (especially for holiday events):

  • The Piedmont Church’s Christmas at Piedmont festival scheduled for 5-9 Friday has been cancelled; updates about Saturday’s 10-5 session will be posted on its Instagram account;
  • Mt. Zion United Methodist Church has postponed its Breakfast With Santa, which was to have been from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Saturday;
  • All Fidelity bank branches were closing around noon Friday;
  • The Lockheed-Georgia Credit Union also closed Friday around noon;
  • Tonight’s Christmas concert at St. Andrew United Methodist Church (3455 Canton Road) is being postponed until Sunday at 2 p.m., with a reception to follow;
  • Friday’s Bethlehem Walk from 7-9 at Mountain View United Methodist Church is cancelled; the final session of the holiday event is still on for the same time on Saturday;
  • At The Avenue East Cobb, carriage rides from 4-7 have been cancelled, but Santa Claus will be in the Santa Suite next to J. Jill for visitors and photos during that time;
  • The Carols for Christmas program Friday at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church has been cancelled. In its place will be a service at 6 p.m. Sunday
  • East Cobb Pediatrics closed at 1 p.m. Friday;
  • All J. Christopher’s locations closed before the normal 2 p.m. closing time;
  • Olde Towne Athletic Club has closed and will delay Saturday opening until 12 p.m.;
  • Chicago’s Steak & Seafood is closed Friday;
  • Seed, Stem Wine Bar and Drift are closed Friday;
  • The British Swim School of North Atlanta is cancelling Friday lessons and offering free makeup lessons;
  • Book Exchange is closing early Friday, but an author open house is still scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday;
  • Righteous Que is closing at 3 p.m. and is not accepting any more phone orders Friday;
  • Johnson Ferry Baptist Church offices have closed for Friday, and all Friday activities are cancelled. As of 2 p.m. Friday, the Christmas Festival services at 4 and 7 Saturday and regular Sunday worship services are still scheduled;
  • Big Peach Running Co. closed at 2 p.m. Friday and will update Saturday opening based on weather conditions;
  • WellStar Medical Group offices closed by 2 p.m. Friday. All WellStar Urgent Care locations were closing at 3 p.m. and are scheduled to open at 10 a.m. Saturday;
  • All CobbLinc public transit services will be suspended at 8 p.m. Friday and will open Saturday, with service times TBA.

Cobb DOT is urging motorists not to get on the roads if they don’t have to. Conditions are deterioarating and crews will be working to treat the roads as the day continues. To monitor the latest conditions visit the Cobb Commute site.

East Cobb weather closings
Sandy Plains Road at East Piedmont Road, also around 12 p.m. Friday (Georgia 511 camera)

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