UPDATE: The Rockdale County Board of Education approved using the rest of the February intercession week as instructional days to make up for recent snow days. This would mean school is in session all next week, Feb. 17-21. The March 14 instructional day remains. Normal daily school schedule remains.

Check back later for more.

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(Feb . 14, 5:06 a.m.) Rockdale County Public Schools will be closed today, Friday, Feb. 14, for students, due to the conditions of the roads; staff are to report at 10 a.m.

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(Feb. 13, 7:52 p.m.) Rockdale County school board will hold a called meeting at 1 p.m. Friday, at 954 N. Main Street, on the matter of making up snow days. 

Eastminster School will be back in session Friday. The private school usually follows RCPS on closing decisions, but acting  Director Sue Troff said Eastminster would be open on Friday regardless of RCPS's final decision tomorrow morning.

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(Feb. 13, 6:54 p.m.) Rockdale County Public Schools is back in session for Friday.

Spokesperson Cindy Ball added that school officials will check the condition of the roads at 4 a.m. and will make adjustments if necessary. If any changes are made, an automated call will go out at that time.

Newton County Public Schools canceled school for students Friday, Feb. 14. Staff, except cafeteria workers and bus drivers, are to report at 10 a.m.; cafeteria managers are to report at 10 a.m.

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(Feb. 13, 3:32 p.m.) The Rockdale County Public School Social Studies Fair originally set for Saturday, Feb. 15, has been rescheduled to a date to be announced.

City of Conyers offices will be open during regular business hours Friday. 

Rockdale County had announced earlier its offices and courts would reopen at 10 a.m. Friday. 

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(Feb. 13, 1:23 p.m.) A traffic signal at Ga. Hwy 138 and Boar Tusk Road is reportedly down. Use caution when on the roads today.

The American Red Cross is also opening blood donation centers today, although community blood drives are canceled, and is in need of platelet donors. 

From the American Red Cross's local spokesperson: "After winter weather forced the cancelation of many American Red Cross blood drives, some operations are scheduled to resume today. This week's storm resulted in 1,785 uncollected blood and platelet donations in Georgia. 

All community blood drives in metro Atlanta and the Athens and Gainesville areas are canceled. We opened blood donation centers in Alpharetta, Athens, Duluth and Marietta at 1 p.m. and will close at 7 p.m. The Midtown center will not open due to safety concerns around the building and the Gainesville center is closed on Thursdays. 

If it's safe to travel, eligible donors are asked to make an appointment to give blood or platelets. Donors of all blood types are currently needed, especially O negative, O positive, B negative and A negative. There is also an urgent need for platelet donors. " 

For more information, call (770) 852-4040 or contact kristen.stancil@redcross.org

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(Feb. 13, 9:32 a.m.) From the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office:

"Just a reminder that the roads are still considered dangerous and unsafe. Although there has been some thawing, falling ice is a serious risk--not just from trees, but from wires, buildings, and elevated structures. Additionally, the wind will pick up in our area this afternoon and evening, increasing the danger from falling trees. Exercise extreme caution, as downed power lines are still a possibility.

Temperatures are expected to increase this afternoon, but will cool to below freezing tonight. Rockdale County is expecting 8-9 hours of below freezing temperatures tonight. Any precipitation on the roadways will freeze overnight, particularly on bridges/overpasses/elevated surfaces. Black ice is possible. Be cautious, be aware, and stay safe!"

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(Feb. 13, 8:38 a.m.) Parker Road Bridge remains closed as of Thursday morning. Sigman Road has reopened.

The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office reported responding to the following on Wednesday:

5 accidents with no injuries
1 accidents involving a deer
2 accidents with injuries

Deputies and first responders cleared more than 40 downed trees.

Snapping Shoals EMC working to restore power to 12 customers in their service area. 

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(Feb. 12, 7:18 p.m.) Sigman Road is closed from Milstead Ave to Renaissance; a vehicle reportedly ran into a ditch near the county recycling center.

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(Feb. 12, 5:34 p.m.) Rockbridge Rd from Rockdale Fire and Rescue headquarters to the DeKalb County line is extremely icy, according to RCFR.

Other icy portions include: White Rd between Henry Ct and Miller Bottom Rd; GA Hwy 138 between Ebenezer Rd and GA Hwy 212; Union Church and Flat Bridge

Rockdale County Sheriff's Office arrested two people on drug charges on Wilson Road off Hwy 20 North after a vehicle was seen recklessly driving, according to the RCSO. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle and the occupants reportedly started throwing narcotics out of the windows. The vehicle finally stopped, and both subjects were taken into custody.

Conyers Police made an arrest of a DUI driver on the West Ave bridge this afternoon.

A 24-year-old Lithonia man lost control while driving next to Lake Capri and slid into the lake in a single vehicle accident around 1:20 p.m., according to Georgia State Patrol. The driver was uninjured.

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(Feb. 12, 4:34 p.m.) City of Conyers announced its offices are closed Thursday due to inclement weather. 

Rockdale County offices and courts announced Tuesday they would be closed Wednesday and Thursday and would open at 10 a.m. Friday.

State wrestling tournament postponed until Feb. 21-22, according to Georgia High School Association.  Rockdale County High and Heritage High had wrestlers heading to the state tourneys in their respective classes.

According to an update from NOAA received at 11 a.m. in the Rockdale Emergency Management EMA Command Center, wind will not get above freezing until 10 am Friday; max wind gusts will be close to 30 mph. Forecasters are looking at an additional 1/4-1/2 inches of ice, with 2 inches of snow expected this evening.

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(Feb. 12, 1:14 p.m.) Snapping Shoals EMC reports it is working on restoring power to about 126 customers. To report a power out, if you're a SSEMC customer, call 678-814-4961 or use the SmartHub app to report outages.

According to GA Power spokesperson Amy Fink, there were less than six GA Power customers without power in Rockdale as of 1 p.m. She encouraged customers and residents to look at the GA Power Outage map for real time information on power outages: http://outagemap.georgiapower.com/external/default.html

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(11:44 a.m.) Rockdale County Public Schools is closed Thursday, Feb. 13

The Rockdale County Board of Education's work session tomorrow night has also been canceled. The work session will be combined with the regular voting meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27.

Eastminster School, which follows RCPS closing decisions, is also closed Thursday.

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(Feb. 12, 10:29 a.m.) Rockdale County Sheriff's Office closed Stanton Road at Rolling Hills Trail.

About 100 Georgia Power customers in Rockdale reportedly without power.

From Snapping Shoals EMC: "We currently have about 3,185 customers without power. The areas most affected are close to I-20 and include parts of Southeastern Dekalb County (around Bakery River Road), South Rockdale (around Heritage High School/Hwy. 138), as well as Jackson Lake at Hwy. 212 & 36. Please be patient while crews work as quickly as possible to restore these outages. Call 678-814-4961 or use the SmartHub app to report outages."

From RCSO: "1. Sheriff's Deputies are out on the roads and responding to calls for service as needed. There are no "major" incidents to report as of this post.

2. Deputies are working to clear a number of downed trees in the roadways, some with power lines involved. We have had about 10+ trees come down, and deputies and work crews have been removing those quickly.

3. Power lines are starting to come down - and we have deputies on those locations to ensure that no one nears these lines until the power company can remove the lines.

4. There are a small number of power outages in the county right now - GA Power is reporting less than 100 customers without power.

5. Georgia DOT has been sanding/icing the Interstate - the GDOT sand & salt trucks are being escorted by the Georgia State Patrol."

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(Feb. 12, 9:50 a.m.) Limbs are reportedly down on Sigman Road near Gees Mill Road.

Power outages have reportedly been experienced in the north side of the county near Hightower Trail and on Cook Road near the Henry County/Rockdale County border.

Homes in the Pine Forest subdivision off Old Salem Road is also reportedly experiencing power outages.

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(Feb. 12, 7:54 a.m.) Parker Road Bridge is closed due to icing. A tree was reported down on Scott Street as of 7 a.m.

Power lines and a power pole are reportedly down on North Main Street near Rockbridge Road; crews are on their way, according to Conyers Police.

Email us with photos of your streets and neighborhoods at news@rockdalenews.com.

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(Feb. 12, 12:48 a.m.) Rockdale County Public Schools is collecting input from parents and employees on a proposal to make up lost time from snow days by adding 30 minutes to the remaing school days. This option would restore the Feb. 17-21 winter intercession and the March 14 teacher work day as time off for students. The survey on this option can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QXP3XYC

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(Feb. 11, 3:03 p.m.) Rockdale County government offices and courts are closing early Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m., will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 12, and Thursday, Feb. 13, and will have a delayed opening at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 14.

City of Conyers offices and courts will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Newton County School System will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 12, and Thursday, Feb. 13.

Peachtree Academy school will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Eastminster School will be closed Wednesday. Eastminster officials have also canceled the school's winter break and school will now be in session Feb. 17-21.

Meetings and events that have been rescheduled include:

Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful advisory board meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, will be held instead on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m., at Bank of North Georgia, 1981 Highway 138 SE.

Eastminster School open house, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, has been canceled. The next open house will be Tuesday, March 4, 7 p.m.

The March of Dimes kickoff event, originally schedued for Thursday, has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 6, noon, at Rockdale Medical Center's East Tower Classroom 2.

Conyers Rotary's "Rotary has heart" day declaration and check presentation to Rockdale Emergency Relief, originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14, has been rescheduled to Feb. 20, noon, at Cameron Hall at 1035 Green Street.

American Legion Post 77 Bingo has been canceled for Wednesday.

Check back for the latest updates on hours and closings in Rockdale.

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(Feb. 11, 2:26 p.m.) Rockdale County Public Schools is closed Wednesday, Feb. 12, for students and staff. 

From RCPS spokesperson Cindy Ball: "Officials are stating that we have the potential for a severe ice storm that may lead to wide spread power outages.  Please take every precaution to remain safe as this weather system continues to move through our area."

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(Feb. 11, 1:50 p.m.) Young American Christian School announced it is closing Wednesday, Feb. 12, and Thursday, Feb. 13. All YACS after school activities and practices are canceled.

The opening round of the Region 2-AAAAAA boys basketball tournament, which was originally scheduled to begin today, has been postponed to a date to be announced. The region includes Rockdale, Clayton and DeKalb public schools. 

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(Feb. 11, 10:39 a.m.) Gov. Nathan Deal expanded the state of emergency to 43 additional counties, including Rockdale. The total is now 88 counties declared under the state of emergency.

The additional counties are: Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Burke, Butts, Clayton, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Emanuel, Fayette, Glascock, Greene, Hancock, Heard, Henry, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, McDuffie, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Peach, Pike, Putnam, Richmond, Rockdale, Screven, Spalding, Taliaferro, Treutlen, Troup, Twiggs, Upson, Warren, Washington and Wilkinson counties.

Peachtree Academy school is on for Tuesday but after school activities and practices/games are canceled.

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(Feb. 10, 7:22 p.m.) Newton County School System is open Tuesday. 

NCSS spokesperson Sherri Davis-Viniard said: "It appears that the threat of winter weather for Newton County will not arrive until well after school ends on Tuesday evening. As a result, the Newton County School System will be open on Tuesday. Decisions regarding extracurricular activities for Tuesday will be made tomorrow. Should weather conditions change once school begins, we will institute the traditional early release schedule which will begin with the dismissal of elementary students at 11:15, followed by high school students at 12:15 and middle school students at 1:15."

Young American Christian School follows NCSS scheduling decisions and will also be open Tuesday. 

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(Feb. 10, 5:59 p.m.) Rockdale County Public Schools is closed for students Tuesday. 

From RCPS spokesperson Cindy Ball: "After meeting with Rockdale Emergency Management, the superintendent has made the decision to cancel school tomorrow. Rockdale County is right on the line of potential hazardous weather. Emergency officials advised that a difference of just one or two degrees could impact our bridges throughout the county and make driving hazardous. Based on this collaborative discussion, RCPS will be closed Tuesday for all students and teachers. At this time, 11 and 12 month employees should report to work. These employees will be notified if the weather dictates a change in the morning."

Eastminster School will be closed Tuesday as well.

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(Feb. 10, 5:44 p.m.) Rockdale County and City of Conyers officials are bracing for the coming ice storm and urge residents to prepare as well.

"The county and city are preparing for the frozen precipitation coming in Tuesday night and into Wednesday," said Conyers-Rockdale Emergency Management Director Dan Morgan, who is also the Rockdale Fire and Rescue chief.

"We have our sand and sand trucks ready to treat the critical areas," he said, which include public safety facilities and major intersections.

Morgan also urged residents to stay alert and plan ahead.

"Residents should stay aware of the weather and have a family plan of how they will communicate, eat, and stay warm if their power goes out," Morgan said. "Citizens should also adhere to any warnings that the city or county releases advising to not travel on the roads unless it is an emergency. All road closure cones, barrels and signs should be observed and they should not drive around or through those areas."

Conyers-Rockdale will issue more information on storm preparations tomorrow, he said.

Rockdale County government offices are set to open Tuesday during normal business hours, as of 5 p.m. Monday. A few evening activities and meetings have been canceled Tuesday, such as the Keep Conyers Rockdale Beautiful advisory board meeting, according to county spokesperson Tonya Parker.

Newton County School System has no change announced as of 5 p.m. Monday. DeKalb County public schools are closed Tuesday and extracurricular activities are canceled Monday. Walton County public schools are closed Tuesday but 12 month staff are reporting for work. 

George Walton Academy is reportedly closed Tuesday. Young American Christian School will follow NCSS on its hours and is set to be open tomorrow, as of 5 p.m. Monday.

Emory University and Georgia State University are closed for classes Tuesday.

Public utilities and power companies are also readying for potential ice.

If you're a Georgia Power customer, to report a power outage, call 1-888-891-0938 or go to www.gpc.com/in-your-community/storm-center/home.cshtml

Be ready with your Electric Service or Outdoor/Security account number OR phone number OR SSN. If you're reporting outages for streetlights or conditions such as downed power lines, poles or lights, make sure you have the city location and closest address to the outage or problem.

If you're a Snapping Shoals EMC customer, to report a power outage, call 678-814-4961. 

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(Jan. 10, 2:33 p.m.) Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal expanded the State of Emergency from 14 counties to 45 counties. 

The  initial 14 counties in north Georgia were:  Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Union, Towns, Pickens, Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, Banks and Jackson counties.

The additional counties include: Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Chattooga, Gordon, Floyd, Bartow, Polk, Paulding, Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Barrow, Haralson, Carroll, Douglas, DeKalb, Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Walton, Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Elbert and Lincoln counties. 

Atlanta city schools have announced they are closing Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rockdale County Public Schools spokesperson Cindy Ball emailed saying no decision had been made as of 1:25 p.m. on school activities and hours: "We have not made any changes to the schedule at this time.... It is always dependent on the information we receive and the expected conditions during our school hours and hours of transition when our buses, student drivers and staff will be on the roadways.  A lot of the time this is our biggest concern, but with icy conditions, we also have to add the walking conditions in parking lots, sidewalks, entrances to buildings, and any potential power issues." 

She pointed out in past years decisions on school closings were often made the morning of that school day and added they would be constantly monitoring weather information.

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(Feb. 10, 11:09 a.m.) The National Weather Service is calling for a winter storm watch for most of central Georgia, including Rockdale and Newton counties, from Tuesday evening until Thursday morning.

The forecast calls for a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet of about a quarter to half an inch of ice beginning Tuesday evening across north Georgia and spreading to central Georgia after midnight Tuesday. The freezing rain is expected to continue through Wednesday and end with snow early Thursday morning.

A winter weather watch was issued Monday 7 p.m. to Tuesday 7 p.m. for the metro Atlanta area.

No changes for Rockdale County Public Schools activities have been announced as of 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Gov. Nathan Deal, who received intense criticism for his response to the Jan. 28 storm that paralyzed the metro area and left motorists stranded in their vehicles overnight, said in a news release Sunday night that he had put emergency response agencies on alert and began significant preparations.

The governor scheduled a news conference for noon Monday to discuss winter storm preparations and to provide information about when drivers need to be off the roads.

Emergency officials throughout the area have been urging residents to prepare their homes and vehicles.

Check back for more information throughout the day.