Cold weather even without snow and ice will close schools

ATLANTA - Even though roads are expected to be clear of snow, sleet and ice Friday, schools around Georgia will be closed Friday because of brutal cold. <br> <br> School officials and parents do not want children who are not used to such weather waiting for buses or walking to school in temperatures below 10 degrees. <br> <br> Spencer Ragsdale, spokesman for DeKalb County schools, says public schools there will NOT open. Fulton County schools will open two hours later than usual. <br> <br> Ragsdale says the main concern is how safe is it to operate the buses, and how safe is it for children to walk to school. <br> <br> Light snow began falling Thursday morning, and it was enough to put a dangerous coat of ice on roads in north of Atlanta. Officials closed 130 schools and many businesses shut down. Bartow, Cobb and Cherokee roads were among the worst hit Thursday. Most were dry by the afternoon, when temperatures climbed to around 25 degrees. <br> <br> Forecasters expect temperatures to drop into single digits in the northern half of the state Thursday night, with the wind chill possibly dropping below zero by early Friday morning. <br> <br> Forecasters are advising young children and the elderly stay out of the cold, until the Arctic blast passes through the state by the weekend. They also warn against leaving pets and plants outside.

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