Teri Pope, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation says heavy rains and moderating temperatures melted most of the snow during the night.
At 7:00 this morning, it was warmer in Blairsville - with one of the highest elevations in the state - than it was in places like Gainesville, Cumming and Commerce. It was 35 in Blairsville and around freezing in the lower elevations.
Pope does caution, however, that you should be on the lookout for icy patches. It is raining and temperatures are right at freezing in most places. Some ice has formed on trees, power lines, road signs, and such, but, again, roads are open and free of ice and snow.
"Georgia Department of Transportation crews are monitoring interstates and state routes in Northeast Georgia," Pope added. "Overnight a mix of snow, sleet and rain fell over much of north Georgia. While some ice is forming on trees and power lines, roads remain clear. Georgia DOT crews will continue to check bridges and spread salt as necessary. If icing continues, fallen trees and downed power lines could create roadway hazards. Georgia DOT urges extreme caution on the roadways."
Dean Dyer at WRWH in Cleveland reports there are a few trees down on roads several trees on power lines in White County. Susan Baker, spokeswoman with Habersham Electric Membership Corporation, said that 2,500 of its customers were without power at 6:00 this morning, including 1,000, in White and Rabun counties and 500 in Habersham County.
Jackson EMC had about 25 customers near Murrayville without power early Saturday. The outage was caused by a broken pole at Mount Oliver Church and Claude Parks roads and a single span of line that was down.
(Please check back frequently for updates to this story.)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/1/226634