ATLANTA — Power crews have been working around the clock since the storm began, and more work appears to be ahead as the number of outages begin to rise.
Georgia is experiencing its coldest temperatures since the storm began, and officials warn that lingering ice is not going anywhere anytime soon creating continued challenges for power crews.
With freezing temperatures and winds picking up, heavy ice remaining on trees and limbs could bring them down, potentially leading to additional power outages across the state.
During his most recent update, Governor Brian Kemp said crews statewide had restored service to about 70,000 customers, and outage numbers dropped steadily on Sunday.
However, officials say those numbers began rising up Monday morning as a cold front moved through the state, bringing strong winds. Total statewide outages were down to around 30,000 at midnight, and then climbed to about 38,000, and have since dropped again to approximately 36,000 customers without service.
In metro Atlanta, Fulton County continues to report the highest number of outages, though conditions there have improved. Outages in Fulton County have dropped to just over 1,000 customers, while all other metro counties are reporting fewer than 500 outages.
As of 11:40 a.m., there are more than 17,000 Georgia EMC customers without power. Thousands of Georgia Power customers remain without power, according to the utility’s outage map.
Officials say outage numbers are expected to continue fluctuating as crews work to restore service and wind conditions create new challenges.
Georgia Power says crews are continuing to make steady progress statewide, but warns the threat of additional outages remains.
WSB Radio’s Graham Carroll contributed to this story.
