With a cold and dry low-level air mass in place across the region, two quick-moving short waves brought a mix of rain, sleet and snow to the far north Georgia mountains. The precipitation began on the evening of the 11th as a light mixture of rain and sleet with no accumulations of sleet reported.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS FFC wrote it up.
With a cold and dry low-level air mass in place across the region, two quick-moving short waves brought a mix of rain, sleet and snow to the far north Georgia mountains. The precipitation began on the evening of the 11th as a light mixture of rain and sleet with no accumulations of sleet reported. By late evening and through the early morning hours of the 12th, the precipitation changed over mostly snow with most areas reporting an inch or less of snow accumulations, mainly on grassy and elevated surfaces. Some locations in the higher elevations of the north Georgia mountains reported one to two inches of snow accumulation before the precipitation ended around sunrise on the 12th.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 11, 6:57 PM EST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 657 PM EST Sat Mar 11 2017 .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 229 PM EST Sat Mar 11 2017/ SHORT TERM /Tonight through Sunday Night/... Canadian high pressure extending down across the East Coast will be in place ahead of the next "clipper" like system to pull through the area the next 24 hours. Upstairs, a mid-level trough pivoting offshore will feature an impulse crossing our region. Precipitation associated with this impulse will cross the area tonight into Sunday morning. The challenging portion of this forecast is the increasing confidence for wintry precipitation across the far northern counties of Georgia tonight into the early Sunday morning. For the remainder of the day, clouds will continue to stream into the area ahead of this next impulse. Light precipitation will begin to filter into the region late this afternoon/evening and increase in coverage through the overnight hours. Keep in mind, with such cold air aloft, combined with dry air at the surface, some precipitation across the north may fall as sleet to start. No impacts expected from this. With cool high pressure in place, and a reinforcing shot of CAA moving into the area tonight, this will make the temperature profile conducive for rain/snow mix across far northern Georgia and the higher terrain for tonight. Feel the transition to this wintry mix will begin around midnight, with the best potential for seeing accumulating snow between 06-13Z Sunday. Accumulations amounts will be tricky for a number of reasons. The first being the duration of snowfall (with some uncertainty in ptype). And the second being the warm surface temperatures. Taking a look at road surface temperatures across northern GA, they are hovering around 50 degrees. We will need to observe pretty heavy snowfall rates to see these values come down closer to freezing. Therefore, feel we will see accumulations mainly along grassy surfaces. Road ways may become slippery and snow-covered in areas with heavier snowfall rates and perhaps across the higher elevations. Given these factors, accumulation are expected to be between a half an inch to an inch generally north of a line from LaFayette to Dawsonville and Cleveland. Isolated higher amounts can be expected for the highest elevations, with the current thinking between 1 and 3 inches. In terms of temperatures, lows will be around freezing across the higher elevations to the mid/upper 40s across central GA. As the system exits to the east Sunday morning, clouds will start to clear fairly quickly in the north during mid-day as the trough moves offshore and the surface high dominates our sensible weather. Temperatures will rebound into the mid 40s across the highest elevations to the upper 50s across central GA. A very progressive pattern continues as brief ridging will move into the area Sunday evening, moving out by early Monday morning ahead of the next trough of low pressure. Clouds will increase Sunday night as another quick impulse nears with the surface high wedging down into northeast Georgia. Slight chance of precipitation (possibly a might rain/snow mix across the far NE zones) is possible Sunday night/early Monday. Temperatures will drop to the mid/upper 30s area wide. 26 LONG TERM /Monday through Saturday/... Mainly only tweaks to the long term based on the latest guidance. Another chance for a mainly rain/snow shower mix still looks reasonable...mainly later Monday night into Tuesday but also possible early Monday morning...for portions of n GA and mostly the mountains. BDL PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... The period begins with low pressure in the northwest Gulf and low pressure deepening along the GA/SC coast. The coastal low looks like it will become dominant as it moves northeast through Monday night. This should keep our area in a wedge for much of Sunday and Monday. A strong trough moving into the Great Lakes will push a front through the area Monday night and Tuesday. Cold air spreading over the state Monday night still looks like it could cause a mix of rain/snow for portions of the far north for late Monday night into early Tuesday. Strong cold air advection expected for Tuesday and Wednesday...with some moderation for the remainder of the week. After Tuesday...the next chance for rain will be Friday as another front approaches the state. 41 && .AVIATION... 00Z Update... VFR CIGs will diminish as light rain works into and across the TAF sites tonight. Expect low MVFR in ATL area by 07Z with IFR by 09Z. CSG/MCN/AHN should see IFR CIGs develop sometime between 09-13Z. NW winds will slowly shift out of NE by 09Z in ATL area and by 15Z across CSG/MCN. A gradual improvement is expected from north to south sites after 14Z. //ATL Confidence...00Z Update... Medium confidence in timing of CIGs lowering/raising. Medium to high confidence in weather/winds/visibility. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Athens 38 49 35 45 / 80 80 20 70 Atlanta 41 51 39 49 / 80 80 20 80 Blairsville 33 49 31 43 / 90 70 10 80 Cartersville 36 52 37 46 / 80 70 20 90 Columbus 45 57 42 54 / 50 60 10 60 Gainesville 37 48 35 41 / 90 80 20 80 Macon 45 53 39 55 / 50 60 20 40 Rome 35 53 36 49 / 80 70 20 80 Peachtree City 40 51 37 52 / 80 80 20 70 Vidalia 48 55 42 56 / 20 40 20 40 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM EDT Sunday for the following zones: Catoosa...Chattooga...Dade...Dawson...Fannin...Gilmer... Lumpkin...Murray...Towns...Union...Walker...White...Whitfield. && SHORT TERM... AVIATION...
Hazardous Weather Outlook...Updated National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 408 PM EST Sat Mar 11 2017 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-121100- Baldwin-Banks-Barrow-Bartow-Bibb-Bleckley-Butts-Carroll-Catoosa- Chattahoochee-Chattooga-Cherokee-Clarke-Clayton-Cobb-Coweta- Crawford-Crisp-Dade-Dawson-DeKalb-Dodge-Dooly-Douglas-Emanuel- Fannin-Fayette-Floyd-Forsyth-Gilmer-Glascock-Gordon-Greene- Gwinnett-Hall-Hancock-Haralson-Harris-Heard-Henry-Houston-Jackson- Jasper-Jefferson-Johnson-Jones-Lamar-Laurens-Lumpkin-Macon- Madison-Marion-Meriwether-Monroe-Montgomery-Morgan-Murray- Muscogee-Newton-North Fulton-Oconee-Oglethorpe-Paulding-Peach- Pickens-Pike-Polk-Pulaski-Putnam-Rockdale-Schley-South Fulton- Spalding-Stewart-Sumter-Talbot-Taliaferro-Taylor-Telfair-Toombs- Towns-Treutlen-Troup-Twiggs-Union-Upson-Walker-Walton-Warren- Washington-Webster-Wheeler-White-Whitfield-Wilcox-Wilkes- Wilkinson- 408 PM EST Sat Mar 11 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North and Central Georgia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and Tonight... Periods of light rain, mixed with sleet at times, will affect areas mainly along and north of a Rome to Jasper to Cleveland line, in north Georgia. No major road impacts are expected with this initial round of light precipitation this afternoon. This evening, a secondary round of precipitation will move across much of north and central Georgia. A mix of rain, sleet, and snow is expected across extreme north Georgia, especially in the higher elevations. Minor accumulations are expected, especially on grassy and dirt surfaces. A few slick spots will be possible on area roads. A winter weather advisory is in effect for extreme north Georgia late tonight and early Sunday. For more information, refer to the Winter Weather Advisory product /ATLWSWFFC/ on our web page. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday... Any snow, or mix of wintry precipitation across north and northeast Georgia will gradually come to an end by mid morning Sunday. Motorists traveling across the higher elevations of north Georgia should be prepared for some slick roadways, especially over bridges and overpasses, during the morning hours. Early next week, there is another chance for wintry precipitation across portions of north Georgia early Monday through Tuesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not requested but spotters are encouraged to submit reports of winter weather through the web by going to www.weather.gov/atlanta.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Reports from a trained spotter and on social media showed around a half of an inch of snow accumulation on grassy and elevated surfaces in the Dalton and Tunnel Hill areas.
A report was received on social media of a half inch of snow on grassy surfaces in Chatsworth.
The Fannin County Emergency Manager and a couple of COCORAHS observers reported between 1 inch and 1.5 inches of snow accumulation on grassy surfaces in the Blue Ridge area and north of Cherry Log.
Reports from a CoCoRaHS observer and an amateur radio operator showed 2 inches of snow near Hiawassee and 1 inch near Titus. This was on grassy and elevated surfaces and roads were reported to be clear in these areas.
The Union County Emergency Manager reported 2 inches of snow on grassy surfaces in the Blairsville area.
A report was received on social media of 1 inch of snow on grassy surfaces in Cherry Log.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, March 2017
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 684600, 684605, 684601, 684602, 684603, 684604.