What a difference a year makes! It was one year ago today when families woke up to discover that Atlanta was hit with an historic snowstorm that covered the city with 6-8 inches of snow. January 10, 2011 was the first day of the memorable city-wide standstill. Atlanta was blanketed with the white stuff, store shelves were empty and traffic was snarled for days. Schools were closed for more than one week and normal life came to a complete stop as the city’s few snowplows failed to keep pace.
On the one-year anniversary of the historic snowstorm in Atlanta, here’s a look back on how Atlanta was affected.
- UPS cancelled all package deliveries and pickups in metro Atlanta.
- Authorities in Rockdale County shut down I-20 in both directions.
- MARTA cancelled all bus service.
- AirTran suspended all flights into and out of Atlanta.
- Cobb County Transit cancelled all bus service.
- Most motorists remained trapped at home.
- A thin layer of ice covered the snow, causing treacherous road conditions.
- Temperatures didn’t rise above freezing until Friday.
- Airlines canceled close to 3,000 flights.
- Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency for the state of Georgia.
- Georgia DOT advised all motorists to avoid all driving.
Since that historic snowstorm in Atlanta, state and local governments have come up with alternative plans for dealing with rare snow removal in Atlanta. Gov. Sonny Perdue promised residents that the city would be better equipped to handle a snowstorm in the future. With a stationary warm front in place for the last few days, it looks like these alternatives may not be needed. However, don’t be fooled. A cold front is on the way and low temperatures are expected to dip into the 20’s. Plus, there’s still two more months of winter left.
Will Atlanta be ready if another snowstorm strikes this winter?
To relive last year’s historic snowstorm, be sure to watch the video.
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