Winter Storm Cleo arrived overnight with overcast skies and an early morning coating of snow by the time Polk County and the surrounding area wakes up to a wintry mixed bag.
The storm stretching from the well into western Canada and down into the deep southern Appalachians is set to play additional havoc today as temperatures provide opportunity the wintry mix to turn to ice overnight. NWS Peachtree City is calling for sleet and a wintry mix to form, then rain and chances for freezing to happen and create ice on limbs and power lines alike.
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Officials note in the warning that the potential for ice accumulation to cause limbs and power lines to fall could cause widespread power outages.
Temperatures on the day will only get to 35 – just above freezing – and are set to go down to 29. There’s additional chance for more freezing rain and snow showers overnight heading into Saturday, but cloudy skies and wind gusts up to 20 mph are in the forecast.
Sunshine returns by Sunday with highs up into the 40s to help thaw things out, but below freezing temps overnight are expected for the weekend and into the coming start of the week.
Polk County closed its doors ahead of a frosty end to the first full week of January 2025. A list of closings (I was able to find as of Thursday evening) is available here.
Check back for additional updates throughout the morning on Winter Storm Cleo’s impact on Polk County.
Want to have your photo included in a free user-submitted galley? E-mail it to polktoday@gmail.com, or share it with us on your social media platform of choice. Make sure to thank Integrity Realty Group for sponsoring free photo galleries from Winter Storm Cleo.