Officials Urge DeKalb Residents To Stay Off Roads

DECATUR, GA -- Officials in DeKalb County are urging motorists to limit their time on the roads Friday to essential travel as a winter storm bears down on the area.

Light rain was already starting to fall in some parts of Atlanta on Friday morning as temperatures began to drop in the region. The thermometer is only expected to reach the mid-30s as a precipitation mix of rain, sleet and snow moves into metro Atlanta later in the day, according to the National Weather Service.

“We can’t stress enough the importance of staying off the roads,” DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond said in a news release. “Our crews can better prepare and clear the roads when there are fewer cars and congestion.”

Classes around the county will be released two hours early on Friday and all evening and weekend activities canceled as a winter storm approaches metro Atlanta, the district announced late Thursday.

DeKalb has at its disposal 16 sand spreaders, more than 1,000 tons of sal, 1,800 tons of sand and 1,000 bags

of calcium chloride, the county said.

DeKalb police are on standby and will work 12-hour shifts as needed, the county said.

"We are coordinating with special operations to ensure 911 operators working in inclement weather have safe transportation to and from work," Cedric Alexander, deputy chief operating officer for Public Safety, said in a news release.

All DeKalb County offices, libraries and recreation centers will close at 1 p.m. Friday, the county said.

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