It's Snowing in Atlanta!

March came in like a lion today for residents of Atlanta and its surrounding suburbs. Local meteorologists have been predicting 2-4 inches of the rarely seen white stuff, and their predictions came true today.

About three inches of rain has fallen since Friday, and finally around noon, the rain turned to sleet and then to snow. Most Northerners are probably chuckling about this southern weather event, but for Southerners, trust me, it is a very big deal. News broadcasts have been on the air continuously since 11:00, and the news stations are asking residents to stay off the roads, if at all possible. The snow is falling at a steady pace in super-sized wet flakes, and it is accumulating on lawns, bushes and in trees. Of course, our southern children are outside in droves, making snowmen and having snowball fights

Since Atlanta has so few snowplows to clear the roads of an entire city, most residents are heeding the broadcasters' advice, and staying at home. In fact, our winter weather advisory has just been upgraded to a winter storm warning. This is huge news for Atlanta as we rarely see snow in this part of the country. Church services are canceled for today and this evening. The busiest airport in the country is reporting arrival delays up to four hours, and Delta has canceled 450 flights. There is a good chance that schools will be closed tomorrow because as the winds kick in to 25-30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40 miles per hour, there will not be enough time for all the precipitation to evaporate. The mixture of snow and slush will turn into ice as temperatures plummet into the low 20's tonight. We may be facing an icy and dangerous situation tonight and tomorrow morning.

Grocery stores were packed this early morning as residents stocked up on milk and bread. Since the situation continues to worsen, this may have been a wise move; as we cocoon inside our homes, and watch in awe as the "snowflakes on steroids" continue to fall. Yes, northerners think we are ridiculous to get so worked up about snowfall. To them, six inches of snow is merely a dusting. However, when the temperatures up north break into the 90's in the summer, it's a heat wave. For us southerners, it's just another day. Your perspective all depends upon to what you've become accustomed.

The good news is that all this rain, sleet and snow will definitely help our drought situation.