Ice Box

Remembering one winter storm as we await another.

Atlanta traffic in the snow (Source: Politico)

Atlanta, GA

January 21, 2026

These days, mentions of ice produce reflexive panic or instinctive praise… depending upon political persuasion.

But this week we won’t worry about government agents demanding papers or busting down doors. Instead, we brace for slick roads, empty shelves, and lost power.

This afternoon I made a brief trip to the local grocer. It would take longer than I’d thought. The parking lot was packed. From the store came a parade of carts laden with bottled water, loaves of bread, and cases of beer.

I’d come for a few items we happened to need. Seeing the scene, I began to recalibrate. But after a few seconds, I decided we were all set.

Forecasts call for snow and sleet Saturday and Sunday. With our cellar stocked, firewood stacked, and outside air cold enough to preserve what’s in our fridge if power fails, we should be fine. But winter memories send chills up local spines.

“Snowmageddon”

A dozen years ago next week, Atlanta suffered “snowmageddon”, a confluence of snow and ice that paralyzed the city. Unfortunately, the storm arrived during the day, with employees and students trying to race home to beat the weather.

Millions of them lost.

Fewer than three inches coated the capital. But the slush froze as temperatures fell. I was working in Midtown at the time. Fortunately, my younger son’s school decided early to end classes for the day.

When I received the call, I left my office. It was just before noon. I may have been the last one to make it out.

Flakes started falling as I left the city. Snow was heavy when I reached the school. Home was only a few miles away. But the trek was already becoming treacherous.

On our winding two-lane roads, ice was forming and pavement was slick. Several cars were stuck on the sides of streets or at the base of hills.

On each decline I’d try to pick up speed, to ensure I had enough momentum to mount the next ridge. It worked. We skidded home and settled in.

Or so I thought. My elder son was stuck at his school. Fortunately, it was only a couple miles away. Worst case, he could walk home.

But some of the buses were able to make it out. Our son hopped on, and rode as far as a neighboring neighborhood.

At one of the stops, the bus released some kids… and spun its wheels. At a low point on the road, it wasn’t going anywhere. Every child disembarked, including my son, who walked the rest of the way home.

But my wife still wasn’t there. She wouldn’t be for a while. Working for the power company, she planned to camp downtown for several days to help restore widespread outages that had already begun.

It could’ve been worse. For millions, it was. As streets iced and freeways froze, stalled cars stranded drivers under descending darkness, falling snow, and frigid air. Many abandoned their cars and chose to walk. Several friends made that choice, and have since ensured they keep emergency provisions in their cars.

Some didn’t have the option to flee. One woman was on her way to the hospital to give birth. She didn’t make it. Instead, Amy Anderson delivered her daughter on the Atlanta Perimeter.

Slopes and Swales

Atlantans catch a lot of grief for their inability to drive on frozen roads. That’s understandable to some extent, albeit a very limited one.

Half this city is relocated Yankees. What’s their excuse? As it happens, it’s the same one the rest of us have.

A friend who transplanted from Chicago once confided to me during an earlier episode when snow shut the city, “no one in Chicago can drive on ice either.”

In north Georgia it’s especially difficult. Nestled in the leafy lap of the Appalachian piedmont, Atlanta undulates on slopes and swales in a vast forest.

Ice is tricky enough when the surface is flat. But even Sonja Henie would have trouble skating uphill over fallen limbs. With inadequate speed, cars would be trapped in the trough. Many were.

Atlanta had no crutches when it was crippled. Because winter storms are relatively infrequent, the city lacked tools to manage them.

When “snowmageddon” hit, Atlanta had little salt or brine to defrost the roads… and few trucks to dispense the scarce treatments. It now has a couple million gallons of brine and ample salt, with the ability to make 50,000 gallons an hour as needed.

The state also has hundreds of trucks and plows to clear ice and remove snow. Unlike the calamity a dozen years ago, this winter weather will arrive on a weekend. Like Daylight Saving Time, this nuisance will arrive when most of us are asleep.

At least this annoyance doesn’t return every year. And the clouds that bring sleet are encased in a lining of serenity. They leave us no choice but to slow down, even (or especially) if the power goes out.

Inclement weather can restrict mobility or deprive us of power. It can force us from our screens, to coax us to grab a book or converse with each other. When snow falls, ice forms, and roads freeze, many receive the enviable option of staying home, and enjoying the blessings of those they love.

JD

PS - While today’s musings relate to Atlanta, I often wander further afield. From Brazil to the Baltic, California to France, and Central America to East Africa, I reflect on the historic, political, cultural, and personal aspects of various places in a new volume you can grab here.