It looks like Georgia's groundhog, General Beauregard Lee, was wrong when he predicted an early spring. Georgia got hit with snow and frigid temperatures Wednesday as proof that winter will stick around a little bit longer. <br>
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The light snow that blew across parts of north Georgia today stuck to the ground as far south as Forsyth and Cherokee counties, north of Atlanta. Some areas received between one and two inches. <br>
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A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Kent McMullen, said ``We saw snow anywhere from the Atlanta area all the way up to the Tennessee and North Carolina border.'' <br>
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Spokeswoman Karlene Barron said the state Department of Transportation and county crews were sanding roads by 6:30 a.m. <br>
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But it was too late for some drivers. There were 37 weather-related accidents between 6 and 10 a.m. in Forsyth County. Eight of those were on Georgia 400 northbound. The accidents prompted officials to close a five-mile stretch of the highway for about three hours. <br>
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In south Georgia, berry farmers spent last night covering nearly mature fruit to protect it from the icy wind, and spraying fields with water for a protective ice coat. <br>
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But that didn't stop them from worrying. In Clinch County, blueberry growers were watching the forecast, trying to decide whether to water or wait. In 1996, farmers learned the hard way that sometimes turning on the water with a wind will destroy the entire crop. <br>
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While the snow had tapered off by this afternoon, temperatures were in the teens in extreme north Georgia, dipping to 15 in Blairsville. In metro Atlanta, brisk winds gusting to 30 miles per hour and made the morning low of 21 feel like five degrees. <br>
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Even colder weather was forecast for tonight with temperatures dropping to the teens in north and central Georgia. Temperatures were expected to reach the single digits in the mountains.
