A heavy winter storm is expected to bear down on Atlanta just days before the Super Bowl – the NFL's showpiece event – which will see the Los Angeles Rams take on the New England Patriots at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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The Georgia capital will host the NFL championship game on Sunday, with thousands of fans starting to pour into the city, which is feared to be shut down because of the snowstorm.
The National Weather Service predicted that the Super Bowl city may get up to two inches of snow on Tuesday, along with icy wind, cold temperature and black ice on the roads.
About 170 flights from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were canceled on Tuesday in anticipation of the snowstorm.
“Temperatures are going to plummet,” Georgia governor Brian Kent said at a Monday news conference.
“It’s very similar to what we saw in 2014 where the roadways will not have time to dry off before the moisture or precipitation on them refreezes. And that’s when you have black ice, and that’s what causes wrecks, which causes gridlock and public safety issues, injuries,” he added.
Five years ago Atlanta was hit by a major snowstorm which left the city paralyzed for several days. The governor assured, however, that all the necessary preparations are now underway to avoid a similar situation this time around. Snow removal equipment is getting ready to clean up the streets and sidewalks which are expected to be flooded with visitors and tourists over the weekend.
Ice-glazed roads and highways will be covered with a liquid salt mixture to minimize possibilities of wrecks and crashes.
The last time Atlanta hosted the Super Bowl, in 2000, it was also struck by a severe ice storm right before the championship, which left the city without power.
However, chances that the upcoming game will be canceled are pretty low taking into account that Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a roof which could be closed in case of a snow shower.