Cherokee County Schools Make Feb. 21 Weather Decision

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — Due to the potential for black ice Friday morning, the Cherokee County School District will have a two-hour delay for all year-round central office staff. Cherokee County students are off this week for winter break.

The Cherokee Area Transportation System will also have a delay and start at 10 a.m. Friday morning.

On behalf of the superintendent, this is to advise that based upon the latest National Weather Service forecast for black ice potential tomorrow morning, he has authorized a two-hour delay in reporting to worksite locations on Friday, Feb. 21. Along with EMA, staff will evaluate road conditions tomorrow morning and communicate further delays if necessary.

SEE MORE: GA Weather Alert: Black Ice Possible Overnight

The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement for potential black ice overnight across north Georgia.

A winter weather advisory is also in effect through 1 a.m. Friday morning for the mountains of northeast and north central Georgia.

Rain and snow is ongoing across portions of North Georgia and is expected to transition to all snow before ending by this evening.

Colder air will rush in behind the precipitation with temperatures dropping below freezing shortly after midnight for the far northern sections and the Atlanta metro sections a few hours later. Winds will aid in drying roads but any residual water on area roadways could result in black ice. With the abundant rainfall over the last few weeks, there will be a higher than normal chance of black ice conditions especially where water flows through the higher elevations and across roadways. This will create hazardous driving conditions where it does occur through the rush hour Friday morning. Temperatures are expected to rise above freezing after 10 a.m. for most areas.

There are a few weather model solutions that suggest some light snow is possible overnight in the Atlanta metro due to cold air rushing over the warmer Lake Lanier. There is low chance of this occurring and any accumulations if at all would be very light.