Winter Storm Gives Savannah Rare Snow

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - For the first time in 14 years, a snowball has a chance in balmy Savannah.

A Southern snowstorm that scattered a rare taste of white winter from Texas to Florida and into South Carolina brought a dusting of snow Friday evening to Georgia’s oldest city, where February rarely dips below 41 degrees.

“I knew it could happen, but I didn’t expect much snow down here,” said Frank Pinter, Savannah’s street maintenance supervisor, who moved here four years ago from northern Ohio. “It’s such an unusual event for this area, we don’t maintain a stockpile of salt or anything.”

The National Weather Service placed Savannah under a winter storm warning Friday that included most of Georgia. Heavy flurries were possible overnight as temperatures dropped. Forecasters said 1 to 3 inches of snow could accumulate in the coastal region.

Pinter had work crews filling six dump trucks with sand—four tons apiece. He planned to have eight workers on call overnight to scatter sand on icy overpasses and bridges, though most roads were expected to stay warm enough to melt any snow.

Still, Savannah-Chatham County police were urging motorists to slow down and use extra caution. The county Health Department closed early at 1 p.m., though only a cold, drizzling rain was falling.

How rare is snow in Savannah? The last snowfall on record here was a paltry 0.2 inches in February 1996, said Jonathan Lamb, a weather service meteorologist in Charleston, S.C.

And it’s been two decades since Savannah had any notable accumulation, with 3.6 inches falling in December 1989.

The frozen flakes weren’t expected to stick around long. Temperatures in Savannah were forecast to climb into the 40s Saturday.

Savannah schools remained open Friday, but dozens of school districts and colleges from middle Georgia near Macon to the state’s northern border were either closed or prepared to send students home early.

In Atlanta, travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport grew restless as flights were canceled in anticipation of up to 2 inches of snow. Delta Air Lines had canceled 1,100 Atlanta flights Friday.

“It’s frustrating,” said Russ Cereola, a New York salesman trying to fly home from Atlanta. “There’s no snow on the ground yet, and they’re canceling flights. Now I understand inbound stuff is probably canceled, but this is a little nuts.”