State officials are asking motorists to remain home until morning.
Brant SanderlinA Paulding County school bus travels through the snow Thursday afternoon. Some area schools released early and canceled some after school programs.
Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.comAt Bud Norman's house on South Peachtree Street in Norcross, the water fountain is frozen with two koi somewhere underneath.
"It's just becoming too dangerous as the precipitation is really starting to freeze," Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Erica Fatima said late Thursday evening, warning drivers to stay away from downtown Atlanta in particular.
Numerous wrecks have been reported in the metro area.
The first fatality of the wintry weather striking North Georgia Thursday night is evidence that roads, including those around metro Atlanta are getting slick. [Check the local weather forecast]
Just before 9 p.m., authorities reported a wreck on Priest Road in Cherokee County near the I-75 overpass where a woman was killed.
Cherokee County Sheriff's deputies said the 50-year-old Acworth woman skidded off the road and died. The woman has not been identified, pending notification of her next of kin.
Around Paulding County, Cpl. Brandon Gurley reported "several" accidents.
In Gwinnett County a police cruiser was involved in a wreck without serious injuries at Oak Road and Holly Road.
But after 10 p.m., snow began to fall more heavily on metro Atlanta and the downtown area, DOT reported.
"The entire I-75 corridor is icing," Fatima said, pointing to icy pavement on Spaghetti Junction on I-85, State Road 78 in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties and on Georgia 400.
Snow that began as a trickle has turned to ice on metro roads. Motorists are advised to use caution, particularly on bridges and highway overpasses.
Forecast
By morning, metro roads could be an icy mess. And it's still going to be very cold.
"We're really going to struggle to make it to freezing Friday," Ryan said.
Most of the metro area shouldn't get more than a half-inch of accumulation, but areas further north could see 1 to 2 inches, Ryan said.
The good news: there's no more precipitation in the forecast over the next few days. Highs over the weekend are expected to be around 30 degrees. By Monday, we could even reach 50 degrees, Ryan said.