SEO Product Manager Michael Cohen moved to Atlanta from California in August 2024. Here are his thoughts as he experienced his first snowfall when Winter Storm Cora coated the city with a little more than 2 inches of snow last week.

As far back as Dec. 28, rumors were swirling about a big storm heading for Atlanta. Some were dubbing it the “snowpocalypse.”

“A foot of snow in Atlanta?” asked one Reddit post on its “Georgia” page, citing claims from various models, predicting a storm on Jan. 9 or 10 with 17 inches of snow.

All over social media, stories of this potential event were spreading. In response, the next day there was a wave of backlash against this far-flung hype. Articles including Forbes’ “The Fallout Of Viral Snow Forecast Posts On Social Media were published, and digital meteorologists at weather.com (correctly) stated that you can’t accurately predict the level of snow four days in advance, let alone two weeks.

So with that, I put the fear of a storm behind me.

Living much of my life in California and Florida has given me the opportunity to experience much of what nature has to throw at us when it comes to weather. I have experienced countless hurricanes since the age of 9, starting with Hurricane Andrew. In college, I watched as lightning struck the building next to me as I was outside. In California, where I lived much of my adulthood, I felt the Earth move from powerful earthquakes and felt the heaviness from wildfire smoke in the air.

But I had never truly experienced snow. I once drove through some while crossing Colorado in May, and have hiked through some in Lassen National Park, but never looked out my window to see it falling from the sky. That was about to change in one of the most unlikely of places, as Winter Storm Cora headed toward my new home, the city of Atlanta, packing what those in the area would consider serious snowfall.

T-Minus 2 Days

I wake up to a 24-degree morning on Wednesday, Jan. 8. This makes it the second coldest day I have ever experienced. I put on my fleece-lined jeans, long socks and a thick flannel shirt I have been saving up for just an occasion. It is cold, but no ice or snow has fallen yet, as Cora has yet to descend upon the South.

I head to work, but my commute is a crawl. Even without snow or ice on the roads, drivers continue to travel 10 mph below the speed limit.

The office is fortunately very warm, and spirits are high among the content team, with whom I work. Having just relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area, I’m familiar with microclimates – where the difference in temperature between two blocks can be 10 degrees. My coworkers clue me in that north of the city will possibly get inches of snow, whereas my location in Midtown will most likely be getting an ice storm.

Ice. Storm. Now that sounds much worse. I have no idea what an ice storm means.

I’m horrified and my thoughts are racing as my coworkers inform me about what I can expect:

1. There is a chance I could lose power. This is something I can’t even imagine, as my heater is blasting nonstop while I’m home. The idea of not having heat when temperatures will be in the 20s is genuinely scary. I begin looking up “warming shelters,” which is likewise an alien concept. I know of storm shelters for hurricanes, but didn’t even think of cold weather shelters.
2. I’ve never driven on ice, and only once in snow, so I nix the idea of heading to a shelter. I’m staying put. That means I now have to get firewood for my fireplace. I am also thankful I have a tent and sleeping bag – as a worst-case scenario, I can set that up inside my home and keep warm with every blanket I have, and stay put.

I start to worry about all the creature comforts at risk. Will I be able to heat my meals? Luckily I have a lot of non-perishables at home. I have a portable battery to charge my cellphone. With no internet and no television, I could build some of my Lego sets to kill time.

Another coworker regales us with stories of waiting in line at the local grocery store for over an hour trying to check out with milk, bread and eggs. I vow to go stock up on my lunch break tomorrow.

T-Minus 1 Day

Today doesn’t feel as cold as yesterday.

On my lunch break, I head out to gather some emergency supplies. I go to a hardware store and purchase three bunches of firewood, some fire starter, and some holiday candles that are luckily on sale.

Just as my coworker had warned me, the parking lot at the grocery store is swarming. Each row in the lot is full of new customers waiting for a spot to park. I have little choice other than to park on a side street.

I grab a premade lunch – they had parmesan chicken tenders that looked too good to pass up, some sandwich rolls, some lunchmeat and some tinned fish. I already have milk and water, plenty of cookies and enough liquor to stock a cheap wedding, so with this trip, I have the essentials covered.

On my way back, I notice a house on my block with some precut wood on the curb. I decide to help myself to yet more firewood. Who knows how long the power could be out?

The home’s owner comes out and helps me make my selections. She mentions in her 30 years in the neighborhood, the power has only ever gone out briefly – we’re in Midtown Atlanta, and the city works faster here. She does warn that we have to worry less about the ice knocking down a line and more about a driver plowing into a power pole. Atlantans, after all, aren’t used to driving in the snow and ice.

I bid her thanks and farewell as I load the logs into the car.

Needing comfort food, I head home. I make myself a frozen pizza I already have in the freezer and mentally prepare for tomorrow.

Winter Storm Cora Arrives

But I also have to work, so I open my office window blinds and try not to get distracted.

That is proving difficult.

I watch as snow swirls from the sky, accumulating on my porch railing, creeping higher and higher.

The snowflakes grow larger in size. Wow, a tree branch just collapsed under the snow’s weight, causing a flurry to my left.

At this point, I just want to finish with work and take advantage of my first real snow, but I have a few meetings first. We discuss the storm and share our own experiences over the company Slack. Jonathan Belles, one of our meteorologists, has a snowman behind him during a meeting.

I finish my last meeting of the day, grab my Star Wars-themed Legos and get a quick photo session of them in the snow.

It isn’t a foot like some of those earlier predictions. It’s a little more than 2 inches of snow on the ground, but it’s the first accumulation of more than 1 inch in the city since January 2018.

Unfortunately, at this point, the snow has stopped; instead, freezing rain is coming down. Likewise, the snow is starting to melt a bit.

Thankful for my supplies and ongoing electricity, I settle into the coziness of being snowed in. I make a sandwich for lunch, reheat the pizza for dinner and stay busy.

That night, another first: I light a fire in the fireplace. It takes a few starts, but it eventually gets going. I feel accomplished, but more importantly, I feel warm.

1 Day After ‘Snowpocalypse’

The next day, the snow is still there.

But it’s also clearly melting – the sound of water perpetually dripping is barely muffled by my patio door. Snow is dropping by the piles from tree tops and the concrete is peeking from beneath the snow.

But it looks wet and slippery, and it’s Saturday, so I am staying put.

In keeping with the theme, I decide to watch “The Empire Strikes Back” in front of my fireplace. But because of the dying fire and my warm blankets, I do not make it conscious to the end of the movie. I put on something else for the noise, and proceed to keep hibernating until 1 a.m., at which point I lurch over to my bed.

2 Days After ‘Snowpocalypse’

I have a coffee date at 10:30 a.m., so I am finally going to brave the icy roads.

After having a very warm shower, I now have to de-ice my car for the first time ever. It’s still snow-covered, and luckily, I do know the most important thing: Do not use warm water. That is an easy way to have your windshields crack or break.

But I don’t have an ice scraper for my car. A few days ago, one of my coworkers mentioned using cardboard and I attempted that for about a minute, barely making a dent before I took out a metal bowl. I’m able to scrape the snow from my hood, front, and rear windows. There is still some on my roof, but at this point, I need to get moving.

I’m definitely nervous pulling out of the driveway until I see the roads have all been cleared. Snow still remains piled up by the curb and in yards. I’m not finding any slippery patches during my drive, though the plentiful potholes are still present.

I watch each step, carefully navigating the still-icy sidewalks as I make my way to the coffee shop. The shop is warm, the coffee delicious, and the date goes well. There is even a Great Pyrenees inside wearing little snow booties, who I learn is a bit of a local celebrity.

I’m hungry after the date concludes, so I head for some brunch. I opt for a delicious fried catfish, grits and a biscuit. I absolutely take a bite of the filet and make a mouth-watering biscuit sandwich with it.

As I’m walking back to my car, I think to myself, “It’s actually a warm day today.”

I check my Weather Channel app. It’s 41 degrees. It didn’t take long at all for me to get used to the cold.