States of Emergency Declared for Alabama, Georgia

State of Emergency proclaimed for Alabama as exceptionally severe weather approaches

Gov Bentley has declared a State of Emergency for all Alabama counties ahead of severe winter weather that is forecast to move through Alabama.

The potential exists for loss of life, injuries and property damage as severe winter weather moves through the state of Alabama bringing ice, snow, sleet, freezing rain as well as subfreezing temperatures beginning February 25, 2015, said the governor in his State of Emergency Proclamation.

The State of Emergency will become effective at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Bentley, has also mobilized 250 National Guards to respond to emergencies, and  authorized local authorities to shut schools and offices, if necessary.

On Tuesday, snow and ice forced school closures across the south, bringing the traffic on roads and highways into a standstill, and creating havoc for commuters, with record numbers of crashes reported.

Deal declares state of emergency effective 2 p.m. Wednesday

Georgia Gov. Deal has declared a state of emergency for 50 counties effective 2 p.m. Wednesday (February 25, 2015).

“With forecasts showing we could see accumulation by 4 p.m., I want to make sure we get as many commuters home before then as possible,” Deal said. “While current models show that temperatures will remain above freezing, we don’t want to run the risk of having normal rush hour traffic volume if there’s snow or ice on the highways.”

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter storm warning for metro Atlanta and north Georgia, with potential for up to 4 inches of snowfall in the Atlanta area, effective 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Winter Storm Warnings

Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for parts of at least 20 states in the South, southeast, Midwest, central and NE US, as of posting.

Record Low Temp Set in N. Virginia

Meantime, at Dulles International Airport, N. Virginia, a new low temperature of -20ºC (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded,  shattering the previous record of -10ºC (14 degrees F)  set in 1967, said NWS.

Lowest Minimum Temp (Daily Records)

Between 1 and 24 February, at least 1,883 new record low temperatures have been set across the United States, said National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).