The National Weather Service published this comforting image this morning.

NWS says, “Ice storm Wednesday will be comparable to Jan. 23, 2000 when over 300,000 lost power. Prepare now.”

NWS also published this equally-comforting forecast for Atlanta on its website.

“Winter Storm To Result In Impossible Travel Conditions With Widespread and Extended Power Outages.”

And then there’s this …

It never looks good when NWS uses the word “historic” and “crippling” in the same press release.

Gov. Nathan Deal this morning expanded Georgia’s State of Emergency by 43 counties, meaning it now applies to 88 counties overall.

The counties are 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, Lincoln, Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Union, Towns, Pickens, Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, Banks, Jackson, 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.