This story has been updated as of 3:17 p.m.
Gilmer County schools will close their doors Friday, as a major winter storm heads our way.
“We want all of our students and staff to be safe,” Gilmer County Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley said. “We don't want them to get hurt coming to and from school and of course we don't want our buses on the road when there's any danger whatsoever.”
School will be fully canceled tomorrow, not just a virtual learning day, due to the severity of the storm and amount of power outages expected, Dr. Ridley explained.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has put a “winter storm warning” in effect for most of north Georgia, from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday. They’re predicting up to six inches of snow, with even higher numbers in elevated areas.
NWS forecasts a winter mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain across the state, with the onset of the precipitation to be between 4 and 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. They say the winter weather will quickly impact travel conditions.
Staying off the roads is recommended but If you have to drive, Gilmer County Public Works director Ryan Steingruber said, “Don’t be in a rush, give yourself enough time to get there.”
Steingruber said they will start salting roads tonight, to get ahead of the snow. Tomorrow, their crews will hit areas where the snow starts coming down first, and keep pace with where it’s falling.
“Give us time to get out there and do our jobs,” Steingruber said. “We’ve only got a certain amount of equipment to take care of 500 some miles of road in the county. We’re going to get to it as fast as we can, and we ask that people be patient with us.”
Gilmer County Deputy Fire Chief Jason Bryant said they will stay overstaffed through the weekend. Gilmer County Fire and Rescue, as well as the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, will work to help people that may be stranded on the roads.
“I think last time we were able to help people that were broken down on the side of the road, at least get them to the warming shelter and stuff like that,” Bryant said. “We won't have the ability to run people all from their homes to a bunch of different places, but we can at least get people somewhere safe.”
The warming center at the Gilmer County Civic Center in Ellijay will remain open through at least Sunday. Cold conditions are likely to persist through the whole weekend, where NWS says gusty winds and refreezing are possible as temperatures vary.
County officials are preparing for impacts Monday as well. Dr. Ridley said if school is canceled Monday, that announcement will come Sunday night.
“I would encourage people to follow all of the trusted sites for weather updates, closings around the county and heed warnings,” Emergency Management director Sharon Courson said.
EMA will continue updating its facebook page with the latest weather alerts from NWS. The courthouse and all county offices for non-essential employees will be closed tomorrow.
“This is part of nature, we’ve handled this before here,” Courson added. “This county is really resilient, and we are prepared for this.”