(Atlanta, GA) – Today at Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Headquarters, Governor Kemp announced the closure of state offices for Tuesday, January 29, 2019 in 35 counties across North Georgia and metro-Atlanta for potential winter weather.

“Currently, the National Weather Service is forecasting one to two inches of precipitation north of the I-85 corridor on the morning of Tuesday, January 29 through that afternoon,” said Governor Kemp. “Forecasters expect frigid air to follow this precipitation, which may cause roads to freeze on Tuesday and remain icy on Wednesday morning.

“Already, we have activated the State Operations Center, and state agencies – including GEMA, GDOT, GSP, and others – will continue to monitor the situation and respond as needed.

“Based on the National Weather Service’s most recent forecast and the recommendations of emergency management personnel, I have decided to close all state offices for non-essential personnel on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 in 35 counties expected to see winter weather.

“We are working with emergency management officials to determine whether it is appropriate to close state offices for non-essential employees on Wednesday, January 30,” continued Governor Kemp. “We understand that businesses and families affected by these closures will have to make accommodations on short notice.

“We recognize your need for information on whether government will be closed on Wednesday. I can assure you that we will continue to issue regular updates through all appropriate channels so that you can plan for any changes in business operations or - for families - necessary childcare with daycare or school closures.

“Importantly, we want everyone to be safe and exercise vigilance if this weather causes dangerous conditions or outages. Those in affected areas are encouraged to remain off the roads on Tuesday and Wednesday, if conditions remain icy or dangerous.”

The following 35 counties are affected by closure of state offices:

Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Heard, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Towns, Union, Walker, Whitfield, and White

Watch the full press conference here: www.facebook.com/GovKemp.

Press Contacts:

Candice Broce - Director of Communications & Deputy Executive Counsel 
[email protected]

Cody Hall - Press Secretary 
[email protected]

Alexandra Beyer - Deputy Press Secretary 
[email protected]