A heavy mix of snow and ice on Friday swept parts of the South that are not used to winter weather, prompting flight cancellations, school closures and official warnings to stay off the roads if possible.
A winter storm warning extends from eastern Oklahoma to Virginia, the National Weather Service said, with a mix of snow and freezing rain falling in cities including Jackson, Miss.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Atlanta on Friday morning.
Parts of western Arkansas had more than a foot of snow, with the heaviest snow Friday morning accumulating from the previous day. From Friday to Saturday, parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley and Northeast could see between one and five inches of snow.
A mix of wintry rain led to the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights in and out of airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville and Charlotte, NC, on Friday.
At Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where about 60 percent of outbound flights were canceled or delayed, a ground stop was issued for all inbound Delta flights after an unauthorized takeoff resulted in Delta passengers being ejected from the icy runway, according to reports. to the Federal Aviation Administration.
A snowy, icy mix made roads and highways treacherous across the Southern Hemisphere. In parts of northern Mississippi, multiple crashes were reported on roads covered in snow and ice, creating dangerous conditions, the Emergency Management Agency said.
A section of Interstate 22, a 200-mile route that runs through Mississippi and Alabama, was closed due to a crash in Marshall County, in north-central Mississippi.
“If you try to enter the streets, don’t enter them,” said Gov. Brian P. Kemp of Georgia at a press conference on Friday, warning that as temperatures remain near freezing, the snow mix. and sleet is likely to make roads dangerous through Sunday.
Most of Atlanta’s shops and restaurants are closed on Friday. The city appears to have learned its lesson after “Snowmageddon” in 2014, when less than three centimeters of snow led to chaos on the roads, leaving drivers stranded, children stranded on buses and schools and government leaders scrambling to clean up the damage.
The governor at the time, Nathan Deal, apologized for the response to the storm, and his chief of emergency management resigned. When forecasters predicted a similar storm a few weeks later, Mr. Deal quickly shut down the government and urged businesses to do the same.
The city and state seemed more prepared for this, with officials urging people to stay indoors and salting the city’s highways and streets ahead of the storm. The roads were empty on Friday – save for a skater or sled – as the morning powder melted into gray mud by midday.
Another exception to the closure was Waffle House. Benji Waugh, a customer, knew the famous breakfast joint would be open for business. “Living in the South, whenever there’s a hurricane or a typhoon or some kind of storm, it shuts down everywhere,” he said, as he downed a bacon, egg and cheese plate. He added: “But it’s easy to go to Waffle House, because they’re always open.”
Governor Kemp declared a state of emergency Thursday in anticipation of the storm, as did his counterparts in Tennessee and Arkansas. Although Tennessee is familiar with winter storms, some areas, such as Memphis, may experience their largest two-day snow total in 40 years. Parts of the state are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which swept through the state as a tropical storm in September. Six inches of snow was reported in Memphis as of 11 a.m. in Mpumalanga, the Weather Service said.
Across North Carolina, similar conditions were expected midday Friday into Saturday.
Accumulations of up to two inches are currently expected in the Mid-Atlantic area east of the Allegheny Mountains. The storm is expected to move away from the coast, where it will strengthen but stay far enough away to avoid becoming a major threat to the Northeast.
The unusually cold weather across the East Coast is expected to continue into next week, allowing for more snow. And areas where snow has melted during the day may refreeze at night, creating ongoing hazards.
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