Originally posted 5:00 p.m. Jan. 20, 2025

Updated 6:40 p.m. Jan. 20, 2025

Georgia Military College has announced that all of its campuses, including the satellite campus in Valdosta, will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to inclement weather. Normal business operations are expected to resume on Thursday.

Valdosta State University, which was closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, has not announced its plans.

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VALDOSTA — South Georgia is getting ready for cold, snowy weather this week with school closures and warnings about winter safety announced.

A cold front that moved through Sunday pulled a lot of cold air into the South behind it, said Cameron Young, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office.

As a result, overnight lows — usually in the 30s or low 40s at this time of year in South Georgia — will plunge into the mid-20s from Tuesday through Friday, according to weather service forecasts for Valdosta. Daytime highs won’t climb out of the 40s, the forecasts show.

The weather service said there is a 60% chance of rain and snow Tuesday afternoon, shifting to a 100% chance of “wintry mix” — rain snow, freezing rain and sleet — Tuesday night. A rare winter storm warning has been issued for South Georgia through Wednesday.

Young said it’s possible, though not certain, that Valdosta could receive an inch of snow. He said forecasts are leaning more toward the possibility of freezing rain than snowfall.

A 60% chance of freezing rain is projected for Wednesday.

Young said the weather service generally advises people to drip or insulate exposed water pipes to protect them from bursting when the temperature drops around 25 degrees; however, prolonged periods of cold mean pipes could still be at risk even with temperatures in the upper 20s.

Around South Georgia, school systems are making preparations for the storm:

— Lowndes County: Schools will be open Tuesday but with all after-school activities ending by 5 p.m. The basketball game between Lowndes and Colquitt will be postponed. Lowndes County schools will be closed Wednesday.

— Valdosta: City schools will be open Tuesday but all after-school activities will be cancelled. Schools will close Wednesday and are expected to reopen Thursday.

— Lanier County: Schools will be open Tuesday but all after-school activities will be cancelled. Schools will be closed Wednesday. 

— Echols County: Schools will be closed Wednesday.

— Brooks County: Schools will let out at 2 p.m. Tuesday with all after-school activities cancelled. Schools will be closed Wednesday.

— Valwood School: The school will be closed Wednesday.

— Tift County: Middle and high schools will dismiss at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday while elementary schools will let out at 1:45 p.m. All after-school activities for Tuesday are cancelled. School authorities said in a Facebook posting they will monitor events to see what needs to be done for Wednesday.

— Colquitt County: Schools will release early Tuesday on the following schedule:

 – GEAR/Vereen: 1:30 p.m.(starting with buses)

 – Elementary: 1:45 p.m.

 – Achievement Center: 2:00 p.m.

 – High school: 2:30 p.m.

 – Middle school and junior high: 2:45 p.m.

Schools will be closed Wednesday.

— Thomas County: Schools will be open Tuesday but closed Wednesday.

Georgia Department of Transportation crews began working in southwest Georgia Sunday to treat major roads with brine to lower the risk of frozen roads. GDOT has brine tanks stationed at seven locations around 31 South Georgia Counties, a statement from the department said.

The last major snowfall in South Georgia was in 2018, GDOT said.