People should stay off the roads – ideally staying inside where they’re warm and stocked up with whatever food and supplies they might need – starting during the day Friday and into early Saturday as a significant winter storm rolls through our area.

The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures around or below freezing on Friday in Milton, with 100% chance of precipitation in the form of sleet, freezing rain, and possibly snow.  According to the 10:30 a.m. forecast, up to 2 inches of snow and sleet could pile up. And there might also be accumulating ice (up to 0.1 of an inch, so not a ton though any of it can be perilous). The wet, cold, wintry mix should continue falling into Friday night through early Saturday morning.

That’s a lot of detail that gets to the same point: please stay off the roads during that time. And even while partly sunny skies and high temperatures of a blistering 36 degrees are expected for Saturday, use the utmost caution – and try to avoid – going out over the weekend unless you know roads are safe.

The City of Milton has snowplows, salt spreaders (filled with road salt), and personnel on-the-ready for before and after the snow, sleet, and freezing rain falls. Crews plan to spend hours circulating around Milton, focusing first on keeping the main connector roads as dry and safe as possible. We ask that people stay at least 200 feet back from spreaders so the salt can be distributed evenly on the roads and not end up on (and potentially corroding) your vehicle.

Still, they cannot be everywhere at once. So even primary roadways may have accumulating snow and ice. And smaller neighborhood streets may not be touched, at least early on. Another reason to stay off the streets: It can be difficult to see – thus drive safely – when snow, freezing rain, sleet, and even rain are falling.

We’re not out of the woods even after this wave of precipitation passes. The forecasts through next Wednesday, at least, call for daytime high temperatures in the 30s or low 40s, then nighttime lows significantly below freezing. (The low on Saturday night, for instance, is 16 degrees.) So any ice that melts could quickly freeze up again.

This storm could also knock out power. Winds could gust Friday to 20 mph – not the most powerful ever, but potentially strong enough to crack limbs laden with heavy ice or snow. That could, in turn, impact power lines. For tips on what to do, check out https://www.ready.gov/power-outages.

We will do what we can to keep people posted on what roads are closed via the City’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/thecityofmiltonga/) as well as through text alerts sent directly to your phone. To sign-up for the latter, start by going to www.miltonga.gov/Notifications.

Thanks to everyone, in advance, for their understanding and cooperation to help ensure you, your neighbors, and those who will be working – like our police officers, firefighters, and road crews – can be safe through this winter storm. We’re very fortunate in Milton to have smart, mindful citizens who care about our city and each other. And this being Georgia, no doubt things will warm up eventually!