State of Emergency in effect as City of Savannah braces for winter weather

On January 22, 2025By Littum

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – A state of emergency will go into effect at noon Tuesday in the city of Savannah as officials prepare for expected winter weather.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, Mayor Van Johnson urged residents to stay off the roads when conditions are expected to worsen during the evening hours into early Wednesday.

“I can’t stress this enough. If you don’t absolutely need to drive in the next two days, don’t. Stay home,” Mayor Johnson said. “If you must drive, be extra careful on our roads . We just don’t know what we’re getting.”

Crews could be seen preparing excavators and sand trucks at the city’s Floyd Adams, Jr. Administrative Complex on Tuesday, which will help clear all affected roads during the storm. Mayor Johnson said the Georgia Department of Transportation has pre-treated several major state roads in the city. Locally, crews will respond to side streets and less traveled roads as needed, according to Savannah officials.

The city will open a warming shelter at the Tompkins Regional Center at 2333 Ogeechee Road around 3 p.m. Tuesday. Mayor Johnson said the center reached capacity Monday as people looked for a place to stay warm ahead of what could be Savannah’s first measurable snowfall in more than seven years.

“There are a lot of things that Savannah does well. We do hurricanes and tropical storms. We don’t do well. We don’t do snow well,” Mayor Johnson said. “It’s a different mindset.”

City officials say Savannah’s emergency operations center will be open for 24-hour operations starting Tuesday.