Georgia Power says it’s making good progress restoring electricity to the tens of thousands of Georgians who lost power during Winter Storm Cora. The state’s largest utility says it has restored power to more than 230,000 customers since the start of the storm.
As of Saturday afternoon, around 25,000 Georgia Power customers were still impacted.
“Crews are in the field now, and the company expects that nearly all impacted customers who can receive power will be reconnected today,” says Georgia Power spokesperson Matthew Kent.
The state’s EMCs reported 2,300 outages across Georgia on Saturday. Most of the outages were in metro Atlanta. Kent says many areas experienced additional damage overnight from falling trees and limbs, with the hardest-hit areas including parts of Alpharetta, Jonesboro, and Atlanta.
As weather conditions improve, restoration efforts can accelerate. However, with temperatures expected to barely rise above freezing in many areas Saturday and challenging road conditions and the potential for continued falling ice, limbs, and trees may slow progress or cause additional damage.
From delight to de-icing
On Friday, Northeast Georgia received 2 to 5 inches of snow as the storm system made its way across the state. By mid-afternoon, the snow was replaced by a mix of sleet and freezing rain, leaving trees and power lines covered in ice.
By Friday evening, Now Habersham weathercaster Tyler Penland was warning of an “icy mess” as freezing rain compacted the snow.
“The fun part’s over,” he said, hours after snow blanketed the landscape in white, offering a long-awaited snow day for the region.
According to Penland, winds will be decreasing throughout the afternoon, reducing concerns about downed trees and power outages. However, temperatures are expected to plummet overnight, making black ice a serious travel threat.
Safety officials continue to urge the public to stay home and not get out on the roads unless necessary.
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