A heavy mix of snow and ice on Friday swept through parts of the South that aren’t used to winter weather, causing flight cancellations, school closures and messages Reminder to stay on the road when possible.
A winter storm warning extended from eastern Oklahoma to Virginia, the National Weather Service said, and snow and ice fell in cities including Jackson, Miss. Birmingham, Ala.; and Atlanta on Friday morning.
Areas of western Arkansas had more than a foot of snow, with the heaviest snow falling Friday morning on top of the accumulation 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 combination of rain and snow grounded nearly 2,000 flights in and out of airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville and Charlotte, N.C., on Friday. With nearly 30 percent of all flights in and out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport canceled, the situation at the airport in the country is not stressful.
“It’s a good day to travel as far as we go,” said Spencer Reeve, a 42-year-old board game marketer who had a 12:40 p.m. flight to Los Angeles. Senior board game marketer who has a 12:40 pm flight to Los Angeles that has been delayed for two hours. “It’s the easiest thing Hartsfield has ever done.”
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Ice, snow mixed with roads and highways treacherous throughout the region of the South. The Mississippi Department of Transportation said on social media that ice was reported in 31 counties across the state, and urged drivers to be cautious. In Atlanta, where public schools are closed in anticipation of freezing rain and snow, the morning rush hour slowed to a crawl as flurries caked the city’s streets and highways. Drivers who got out found themselves stranded on the road.
A section of Interstate 22, the 200-mile highway that crosses Mississippi and Alabama, has been closed due to an accident in Marshall County, in north-central Mississippi.
In preparation for the storm, Gov. Brian P. Kemp of Georgia declared a state of emergency on Thursday because of the forecast and said it will be in place until Tuesday.
Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee also posted one state of emergency on Thursday afternoon. While Tennessee is aware of the storm, some areas, like Memphis, could receive their heaviest snow two days in 40 years. Part of the state is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which moved through the state as a tropical storm in September.
Forecasters in Nashville are urging residents not to focus on the exact amount of snow, as any could pose a travel hazard.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and, report state of emergency on Thursday, with heavy snow and ice expected to fall in the state on Friday.
Across North Carolina, similar conditions will begin to unfold mid-Friday and end Saturday. There are currently up to two inches in the Mid-Atlantic region east of the Allegheny Mountains.
The storm is then expected to move off the coast, where it will be strong but far enough away to avoid serious damage to the Northeast.
The unusually cold conditions across the East Coast are expected to continue into next week, allowing some snow to stick around. And areas where snow melts during the day can refreeze overnight, creating a constant hazard.
Sean Keenan help guide from Atlanta.