More than 20,000 remain without power in Ga., as temperatures plunge

ATLANTA (AP) -- More than 20,000 Georgia customers remained without power just before dawn Thursdsay as morning lows dipped into the single-digits in many northern parts of the state.

Georgia's electric membership cooperatives reported that about 22,000 customers were without power as of 5:00 a.m. following this week's ice storm coated much of northeast Georgia.

Meanwhile, the temperature plunged to 6 degrees in Blairsville before dawn as a new storm approached. There were unofficial reports of zero readings and -15 wind chills in the Blairsville area - and a light dusting of snow was also reported. A U.S. Forest Service weather station near Brasstown Bald, Georgia's highest peak, showed the temperature there was plus-one early Thursday.

The low at Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville was 10, which is 18 degrees below normal for the date. Wind chills were in the single-digits.

The National Weather Service early Thursday warned of a new storm that could bring up to a quarter of an inch of ice to far north Georgia Friday night through Saturday morning. (See link below.)

(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this report.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/2/285401