Icy roads cause more than 200 accidents but no fatalities
- 1/14/10
- Categorized in: DeKalb News
Icy roads in DeKalb County contributed to more than 250 traffic accidents in the first 24 hours after a winter storm on Jan. 7.
About a half-inch to an inch of snow fell across DeKalb County, according to the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Ga. The combination of snow and temperatures in the teens and single digits at night on Jan. 8-10 led to icy road conditions.
High temperatures in Atlanta stayed in the low to mid 30s through the weekend, according to the NWS. The wind chill factor in DeKalb and metro Atlanta kept highs in the 20s and upper teens through Sunday, Jan. 10.
DeKalb County Police reported 270 accidents by 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, resulting in 40 injuries, said police spokesman Jason Gagnon. There were no traffic-related deaths, Gagnon said.
A broken water line on I-285 South on Saturday resulted in the closing of the interstate for several hours after the water froze, Gagnon said.
The storm forced the closing of DeKalb public schools and private schools on Friday. School was back in session on Monday, Jan. 11, but all school-related sporting events over the weekend were postponed or cancelled.
On Tuesday, there was a slight chance of snow flurries in the morning and temperatures were expected to reach the mid 30s, but winds of 15 to 20 mph would create a wind chill factor of about 10 degrees, the NWS said.
By Wednesday, temperatures were expected to reach the 50s, but drop back into the 40s by Jan. 17-18.
