If you were expecting Snowmageddon 2015 on Thursday, what you got in Gainesville was more like Snow-meh.
Snowfall did vary greatly in the region, though, with Gainesville receiving 3.5 inches, Dahlonega 4.7 and Blairsville 7.1, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, metro Atlanta got mostly rain.
Most emergency agencies reported no major increases in call volume overnight Wednesday.
Gainesville Assistant Public Works Director Chris Rotalsky said concerns remained about black ice and re-freezing overnight Thursday, adding that officials were closely watching temperatures across the county.
City road crews may pre-treat bridges, but would likely hold off dispensing salt on roadways until Friday morning, just before rush-hour traffic, Rotalsky said.
Hall County spokeswoman Katie Crumley said road crews remained on standby Thursday night in the event that black ice became a problem on area streets.
As local government and public safety agencies regrouped Thursday, plans were being made in anticipation of another possible round of wet winter weather Sunday, but with higher temperatures. The forecast currently calls for a better than 50 percent chance of precipitation, although a freeze isn’t predicted.
“We always keep an eye on the weather,” Crumley said. “Our Emergency Management Agency maintains constant communication with the National Weather Service throughout the year.”
Rotalsky said Gainesville officials are also closely monitoring Sunday’s forecast even while still managing the fallout from last week’s ice storm. Removing debris and fallen trees will take another few weeks.
“When they come back to back ... one problem compounds another,” Rotalsky said.
Problems Thursday were relatively few, though, given the predictions of 3-6 inches of snow.
“We had very few issues,” said Gainesville Police spokesman Kevin Holbrook. “The ones we did have were minor in nature.”
There were a number of minor car accidents between 6 and 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Nicole Bailes.
A pedestrian was struck by a Sheriff’s Office patrol car Wednesday night at the intersection of Monroe Drive and U.S. 129/Athens Highway in Gainesville.
“The pedestrian was crossing the roadway improperly and did not have the crossing signal to be in the roadway,” Bailes said. “Our deputy had the green light and was traveling at low speeds. When the deputy observed the pedestrian they were unable to stop suddenly due to ice and snow on the roadway.”
The pedestrian did not request medical assistance and appeared to sustain no major injuries, according to Bailes.
Hall County Fire Services had to use four-wheel drive vehicles Thursday morning to reach some medical calls in the north end of the county due to icy and snow-covered driveways, but there were no serious injuries due to weather-related accidents, said Chad Black, interim deputy chief.
Some North Hall roads were still iced over early Thursday, but main thoroughfares in the city and county were scraped Wednesday night and remained in good condition Thursday morning, according to Gainesville Public Works Director David Dockery.
Staff members Shannon Casas and Joshua Silavent contributed to this report.