Weather Emergencies
Winter Weather​​​

Georgia DOT employees are proud public servants, ready to assist when needed. During inclement weather, Georgia DOT commits to improving driving conditions on Georgia’s interstates and state routes. Georgia DOT advises motorists to slow down and exercise caution when traveling in wintry conditions. NOTE: Georgia DOT does not clear local roads or roadways leading into subdivisions.​


Winter Weather Preparedness Week

Winter Weather Preparedness Week is an opportunity to ​educate Georgians about winter weather hazards and reinforce the understanding of winter weather terminology. The campaign will cover the following topics:


Monday, December 4

Winter Weather in Georgia
Learn about winter weather hazards that can impact the state of Georgia.

Tuesday, December 5

Winter Weather Terminology
Learn about winter weather "alerts" (watches, warnings and advisories) and what they mean.

Wednesday, December 6

Winter Weather Preparation Tips
Learn how to best prepare for winter weather events, and put together a "Ready Kit" while making a plan before winter weather strikes.

 

Thursday, December 7

Winter Weather Driving Tips/Safety
Learn "best practices" for driving (if necessary) in winter weather conditions and how to pack a mobile Ready Kit.

Friday, December 8

Winter Weather Outlook
Check out resources for learning where and how to stay informed of weather forecasts.​


Learn More  Read Blog


 

 

​​

Winter Weather Pre​pare​dness

Georgia DOT is prepared for potential winter weather across the state. Our response teams monitor and respond to wintry conditions on interstates and state routes. We also partner with local and state agencies to monitor conditions and remove debris from the roadway.​​​​​​​​

Untitled 1

Winter Readiness at a Glance

Open to the public airports  
1,922
Employees on call covering 40,359 lane miles
Takeoffs and landings 
53,880
Tons of salt on hand
Funding  
43,520
Tons of gravel on hand
Funding  
393​​
Snow removal dump truck units (one plow + spreader + dump truck = 1 dump truck unit)​​

 

​ ​

 

​​

​Winter Weather Guide

GDOT Winter Weather Guide

View Guide

​​ ​​​​​

Stay Safe & Plan Ahead

Safety Tips
  • Beware of black ice (especially on bridges and overpasses) and watch for fallen trees or power lines.
  • Avoid driving unless absolutely necessary or postpone until daylight when road conditions, such as black ice, may be visible.
  • Do not pass a GDOT dump truck spreading salt/gravel; gravel may kick up and could break car windows. Follow at least 100 feet behind these vehicles.
  • Be aware of GDOT work crews who clear snow and ice from interstates and state routes.
  • SLOW DOWN to at least half of the normal speed limit and drive in low gear.
  • Treat a non-working traffic signal as a four-way stop.
  • When wet roads freeze, the threat of black ice is possible. Black ice is a thin, often invisible sheet of ice that forms on the roadway, especially on bridges and overpasses and low lying areas. It can form at any time when temperatures drop below freezing and there is any form of moisture, from sprinklers, run-off or precipitation on the roadway.
  • GDOT Highway Emergency Response Operators (HEROs) will monitor roadways in metro Atlanta for potential freezing. HEROs will notify the 511 dispatchers and routine maintenance crews will address these issues.
  • Will use the Roadway Weather Information System to help identify potential timeframes for black ice to enhance monitoring of these roadways.
  • Will monitor black ice areas that were problematic during prior winter weather events and address it as soon as it occurs.

Make Sure Your is Home Winter Ready

Prepare your home to keep out the cold with insulation, caulking, and weather stripping. Learn how to keep pipes from freezing. Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.


Keep Extra Supplies

Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.


Pay Attention to Weather Reports

Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. Also, know your area’s risk for winter storms. Extreme winter weather can leave communities without utilities or other services for long periods of time.


Create a Vehicle Emergency Supply Kit

Keep jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water, and non-perishable snacks in the car. Keep the gas tank full. Learn the signs of, and basic treatments for, frostbite and hypothermia.



Materials, Equipment & Technology

Achieve & Maintain “Passable” Road Conditions

Goals and Priorities
  • Make keeping roads safe for emergency vehicles a priority.
  • Focus crews first on interstates; then state routes from the most heavily traveled, to the least traveled.
  • Goal is to maintain all lanes passable unless storm severity dictates otherwise.

Focus on Trouble Spots

  • Pretreat bridges and overpasses prior to snow and ice conditions and monitor consistently.

Key Stakeholder Coordination

  • Share pertinent information with local governments and other state agencies
  • Update the public on road conditions and road closures as needed
Preparation

Teams with different expertise respond to a variety of incidents. GDOT identifies these teams as brine distribution, interstate, special response and traffic strike teams:

Brine

Brine units distribute on impacted highways. (Brine is a mixture of salt and water is used as a preventative treatment and is intended to limit the bonding of the ice to the pavement).


Interstate

Treat and remove snow from interstate roadways using 3-5 tandem dump trucks (trucks with snow plows and material spreaders attached). Up to 18 crews.


Special Response

Respond to “hot spots” outside of treatment areas where interstate teams will focus.


Traffic Strike

Consist of Georgia State Patrol; Motor Carrier Compliance Division; Georgia DOT Highway Emergency Response Operator; Department of Natural Resources; Georgia Forestry Commission and Georgia Department of Defense personnel.


Equipment

Materials

  • Brine to pretreat metro Atlanta and north Georgia interstates to prevent ice build-up on roadways.
  • 13 tankers dispense brine along metro Atlanta interstates up to 24 hrs before winter weather hits.
  • 31, 5,000-gallon brine tankers available statewide to apply brine treatment to interstates and critical routes.
  • Forest Park facility houses an automated brine production unit and 220,000-gallon storage tank.
  • Districts 1, 2, 3 and 6 have additional brine plants and units.

Equipment

  • Six multi-lane tow plows to clear two lanes in one pass. Multi- lane tow plows will be dispatched around the state when needed and remove snow and ice from interstates and multi-lane state routes
  • Single and/or double-axle dump trucks with front-attached snowplows to push snow and ice from roadways
  • Single and/or double-axle dump trucks with rear-attached hopper spreaders or tailgate spreaders to distribute salt/gravel mixture and brine for de-icing the roads
  • Plows and spreaders for F-250 pick-ups which allow multi-use of equipment year around
  • Tractor-type motor graders for moving snow.

The following equipment, materials and staff are ready in these areas:

 

Statewide (approximately)

  • 1,922 employees on call covering 40,359 lane miles interstate & state routes
  • 53,880 tons of salt
  • 43,520 tons of gravel
  • 128,400 Gallons of calcium chloride
  • 446,970 Pounds of calcium chloride
  • 1.8 million gallons of brine
  • 393 snow removal dump truck units (one plow + spreader + dump truck = 1dump truck unit)
  • 61 F-250 pick-ups with plows and spreaders.
  • Capacity to store over 1.8 million gallons of brine
  • Capacity to store over 130,000 gallons of Calcium Chloride.
  • Can produce 50,000 gallons of brine per hour, statewide.
  • GDOT may relocate district resources to the most- needed areas during an event.
  • Media contact: Natalie Dale - (404) 631-1814

 

District 1 Northeast Georgia

  • 260 employees on call covering 6,100lane miles
  • 8500 tons of salt
  • 7000 tons of gravel
  • One brine production unit
  • 317000 gallons of brine
  • 0 gallons of calcium chloride
  • 58,000 Pounds of calcium chloride (granular)
  • 29 Brine storage units
  • 13 RWIS sensors
  • 115 snow removal dump truck units, additional 31 Snow Dogg equipped F250s
  • 205 snow plows
  • 200 Spreaders
  • Snow Dog Material weight 2 tons
  • 6 wheel Material weight 6 tons
  • 10 wheel Material Weight 18 tons
  • 31 F-250 Pick-ups with plows and spreaders
  • District has two shifts; 136 employees per shift
  • Media contact: Elizabeth Johnson – (678) 725-9632

 

District 2 East Central Georgia

  • 290 employees on call covering 7,892lane miles
  • 7863 tons of salt
  • 3451 tons of gravel
  • 385,000 Gallons of brine storage capacity
  • 5000 gallons of calcium chloride
  • 58 snow removal dump truck units (Combo Units)
  • 3 plow units only
  • 8 Salt Spreader Units
  • One brine production unit and one batch unit
  • 13 Brine Storage units
  • 6 RWIS sensors
  • District has two shifts; 137 employees per shift
  • Media contact: Vacant – (478) 553-3361

 

District 3 West Central Georgia

  • 311 employees on call covering 9,041lane miles
  • 5,269 tons of salt
  • 2,859 tons of gravel
  • 243,500 Gallons of brine
  • 33,000 gallons of calcium chloride
  • 66,650 Pounds of calcium chloride (granular)
  • Three brine production units and one batch unit
  • 9 Brine storage units
  • 9 RWIS sensors
  • 86 snow removal dump truck units
  • District has two shifts; 156 employees per shift
  • Media contact: Gina Snider – (706) 741-3439

 

District 4 Southwest Georgia

  • 295 employees on call covering 8,753 lane miles
  • 943.75 tons of salt
  • 863.6 tons of gravel
  • 187,000 gallons of brine
  • 10,500 gallons of calcium chloride
  • 67,410 lbs of calcium chloride (powder)
  • 13 snow removal dump truck units
  • 1 RWIS sensor
  • District 4 support D7 with 72 additional employees
  • District 4 support D3 with 26 additional employees
  • District 4 support D6 with 34 additional employees
  • Media contact: Juanita Birmingham – (229) 326-5435

 

District 5 Southeast Georgia

  • 255 employees on call covering 7,934 lane miles
  • 1,655 tons of salt
  • 2,741 tons of gravel
  • 41,000 Gallons of brine
  • 5,500 gallons of calcium chloride
  • 2,700 Pounds of calcium chloride (granular)
  • 20 snow removal dump truck units
  • 3 RWIS sensors
  • District 5 supports D7 crews with 95 additional employees
  • Media contact: Jill Nagel – (912) 424-6643

 

District 6 Northwest Georgia

  • 236 employees on call covering 5,241 lane miles
  • 9,650 tons of salt
  • 11,606 tons of gravel
  • 407,450 gallons of brine
  • 8,400 gallons of calcium chloride
  • 217,210 Pounds of calcium chloride (granular)
  • 64 snow removal dump truck units
  • 25 F250 Equipped with Snow Plows and Spreaders
  • 3 brine production units
  • 35 Brine Storage units
  • 13 RWIS sensors
  • District has two shifts;118 employees per shift
  • Media contact: Joe Schulman – (678) 721-5284

 

District 7 Metro Atlanta

  • 275 employees on call covering approximately 4,534lane miles
  • 20,000+ tons of salt
  • 15,000+ tons of gravel
  • 56 snow removal dump truck units
  • 13 Brine Tractor Trailer Units (5000 Gallon)
  • 2 Brine Striker Units (2500 Gallon)
  • Two brine production units
  • 220,000 Gallons of brine
  • 66,000 gallons of calcium chloride
  • 35,000 Pounds of calcium chloride (granular)
  • 12 RWIS sensors
  • District has two shifts; 114 employees per shift
  • Media contact: Melodii Peoples - (770) 216-3813

Road Weather Information System (RWIS): Roadway Sensors

  • Road Weather Information System (RWIS) - roadway sensors in 55 locations across the state will improve ability to predict weather conditions on roads such as ice, temperature, precipitation and wind.
  • Expanded network of RWIS capabilities will include Georgia airports; and real-time capability to view all surrounding states’ weather conditions (AL, TN, NC, SC, North FL and MS).

View Roadway Sensors  


511/Navigator

  • Added additional cameras to NaviGAtor Intelligent Transportation System to assist with monitoring and deploying resources.
  • Enhanced GIS equipment tracking to identify locations being treated.
  • A web-based program to monitor incidents.
  • Snow removal equipment operators equipped with communication devices to share real-time conditions with their Area and District Storm Operations Center.

Helpful Resources

Media Contacts

Statewide
Natalie Dale
(404) 631-1814

District 1
Nathan Johnston
(770) 533-7250

District 2
Will Volk
(478) 553-3361

District 3
Gina Snider
(706) 741-3439

District 4
Juanita Birmingham
(229) 326-5435

District 5
Jill Nagel
(912) 424-6643

District 6
Joe Schulman
(678) 721-5284

District 7
Melodii Peoples
(770) 216-3813

Stay Connect​ed​

Travelers can use the following resources to receive free travel information.

 

​ 

 


Latest Trending from @GADeptofTrans


Follow us to stay up-to-date on all the latest traffic and infrastructure news around Georgia
 

View Social Media Hub