Winter Wonderland Spreads Across Area

Citizens across Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties awoke to wintry surprise on Wednesday, January 22, as a rare snowstorm brought from 3 to 7 inches of powdery white stuff to the countryside.

Governor Brian Kemp issued a statewide emergency declaration ahead of the storm, activating the Georgia Department of Transportation to brine roads and to be ready to deploy equipment as needed. The snow fell more heavily in central and southern Georgia (the National Weather Service reported Cordele with the high of 9 inches) than in metro-Atlanta and the upper regions, but the impact was felt statewide. Roads across the state, including interstate highways, were heavily affected by black ice as snow turned to ice, and numerous accidents were reported. The storm, which spread across several states in the Deep South, caused widespread issues like delayed flights, abandoned vehicles, and even loss of life in Texas and Alabama. continued from page

In Georgia, many communities, like Brunswick and the Golden Isles, experienced extended power outages when ice brought limbs down on power lines. Schools closed across the state, and while local schools closed Wednesday and Thursday as a safety precaution, classes reopened Friday. Across the area, individuals of all ages crafted their best snowmen for The Advance’s Snowman Contest, in which the winner received $50 and a subscription to the newspaper. The Contest was extremely popular among citizens, over 100 people submitted their snowy friends for a chance at the prize. Because of this large amount of participation, prizes were also given for second place honors – who won a $20 gift certificate to Sweet Onion Social – and third place honors – who received a $10 gift certificate to the Market on Church.

Anna Humphrey took home the top honors for the contest, as her family’s snowman found the most favor with the judges. Samantha Stanley-Bateson’s family took home the second place prize, while Craig George earned the third place award.

Wheeler County

Wheeler County residents saw heavy snowfall across the county, as citizens reported receiving anywhere from 5 to 7 inches of snow.

Georgia Power, which covers Wheeler County’s municipalities, and Little Ocmulgee Electrical Membership Corporation, which provides regional coverage including Wheeler, were on standby throughout the periods of snow and ice. “We didn’t sustain much damage at all, thank the Lord! We had a couple of isolated outages that really had more to do with lingering hazards from Hurricane Helene. We also didn’t send any crews anywhere else to help. It’s my understanding in the EMC world there were only roughly 15,000 outages statewide within our footprint and those were isolated to southeast Georgia – close to the Florida line. We were very fortunate and thankful for that,” said Lewis Sheffield, General Manager, from the LOEMC headquarters in Alamo.

There were no major traffic emergencies because of the weather. “Thank goodness it seems as if most residents stayed home but if they didn’t, they were careful,” said Wheeler County Sheriff Glen Giles. “It was a very uneventful event,” he said.

Wheeler GEMA Director Steve Adams echoed the Sheriff’s remarks, “Because of the sub-freezing temperatures Thursday morning, I was expecting black ice. A couple of vehicles did slide off the road into ditches, but, overall, we were lucky. I am amazed it was so quiet.” Montgomery County

Montgomery County residents saw similar amounts of snow, as between 3 and 6 inches were recorded throughout the County.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reported very few traffic emergencies, with fewer than 3 minor wrecks reported as a result of the snow and ice. The County’s offices and schools closed for the weather on Wednesday, January 22, and Thursday, January 23, but reopened for business on Friday, January 24.

Very few power outages were recorded in the area.

Toombs County

Things were quiet in Toombs County, as citizens enjoyed the 3 to 6 inches of snow which fell within the County.

Toombs County Sheriff Jordan Kight stated that the snow left the community very quiet, as the only traffic emergency reported as a result of the snow and ice was a single vehicle accident with no injuries where the vehicle appeared to slide into the ditch.

Schools, businesses, and municipal offices closed on Wednesday, January 22, and most remained closed the following day, January 23.

Very few power outages were reported in the area.

WINTER WONDERLAND – Snow blankets the ground around aptly named Snow Hill Baptist Church in Wheeler County. Snow created an idyllic scene in an area that hardly ever sees this kind of winter landscape. An estimated 5-7 inches fell in the area beginning Tuesday afternoon and into early Wednesday morning.DOWN A COUNTRY ROAD – Snow clings to the sides of Doubletree Road in rural Wheeler County, where most of the roads are unpaved. When snow turned to ice, and later, water, some of these roads were rough-going except for motorists who drive four-wheel-drive vehicles.Photo by Deborah Clark