“Winter Fury Strikes the South, Grounding Hundreds of Flights”

CNN
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A major winter tempest is battering the Southern region with snow and ice, instigating significant travel interruptions and power failures just a day after it struck the Plains.

The blizzard had already paralyzed the South on Friday — educational institutions and governmental offices were closed, and emergency states were proclaimed as it began to affect travel.

By late Friday morning, more than 2,600 flights in and out of the US were cancelled as the storm encompassed nearly every significant airport in the Southern states, according to FlightAware.

Snow was blanketing much of Tennessee on Friday morning, including Memphis and Nashville, while a combination of snow and sleet affected certain areas of the Southeast — notably Atlanta, which experienced its largest snowfall in almost seven years.

Regions further west experienced similar conditions overnight, leading to a scenario far removed from a picturesque winter scene.

Over 70,000 residential and business properties were experiencing power outages in Texas and Arkansas amid freezing temperatures on Friday morning, per PowerOutage.us.

Snow has accumulated in these locations since Thursday. Areas north of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area recorded accumulations of up to 8 inches of snow, while regions near Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle received as much as a foot. Dallas observed 2 to 4 inches of snow, marking this storm as the largest the city has witnessed in four years.

Southeastern Oklahoma received 6 to 10 inches of snow, with more than a foot reported in central Arkansas.

The dismal weather resulted in perilous travel conditions, with multiple accounts of jackknifed tractor trailers and stranded vehicles in both northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. All southbound lanes of Interstate 35 in southern Oklahoma were congested near Davis after a collision caused a shutdown.

In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Sanders deployed the National Guard to assist motorist in distress, as she communicated on X.

State officials reported that several roads were hazardous and impassable in parts of Alabama by Friday morning.

Multiple accidents and off-road incidents were logged in neighboring Mississippi, stated the state’s highway patrol.

At least moderate effects from the storm are anticipated in various regions of the South on Friday, according to the Winter Storm Severity Index. Some areas may endure significant impacts from this storm, indicating considerable disruptions to everyday activities and treacherous travel circumstances. This includes Atlanta, where icy sleet commenced early Friday morning before transitioning to snow.

Reports indicated widespread snowfall of 1 to 3 inches and sleet throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area by mid-morning. The city is set to encounter mixed precipitation for a significant period.the day. Frost accumulation could result in power interruptions alongside hazardous travel.

“Travel conditions will be perilous in the Atlanta Metro this morning,” the National Weather Service cautioned Friday. “If you can refrain from traveling, please do!”

Any quantity of ice poses a threat; merely a thin coating — even a tenth of an inch — can transform paved roads into skating rinks, resulting in people slipping and vehicles skidding out of control, similar to what happened over the weekend in the central US. Ice can also weigh down power lines, leading to outages.

All government offices in Atlanta are closed on Friday, and the city has established several warming centers, as per a Wednesday press release.

Officials in Georgia stated they gleaned significant insights from the notorious 2014 “Snowpocalypse” crisis that left countless vehicles stranded on icy highways in Atlanta.

“We proactively prepared for the storm,” remarked Gov. Brian Kemp. “It’s challenging to keep pace with Mother Nature, but we’re giving it our best shot.”

Approximately 20,000 miles of roads received treatment with brine prior to the onset of the first snowflake on Friday, according to the state Department of Transportation, and over 300 snowplows were deployed to clear highways.

By 12 p.m. ET, over 400 flights, equating to 40%, departing from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were canceled, according to FlightAware. This airport holds the title of the busiest in the world based on passenger volume and serves as a major hub for legacy carrier Delta Air Lines.

Snowfall also commenced in Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on Friday as a storm moving south from Canada interacted with a southern front, drawing moisture upwards. Expected is a widespread accumulation of 1 to 3 inches of snow in Kentucky and sections of the Midwest through Friday evening.

Precipitation will rapidly spread eastward Friday night as the storm nears the Atlantic Coast, with a combination of snow and ice forecasted to reach the Carolinas and Virginia. Charlotte, North Carolina, has not registered measurable snow — at least 0.1 inch — in nearly two years, but is expected to break this snowless streak by this weekend.

Between 1 to 3 inches of snow will also descend upon the Northeast from Friday night into Saturday morning.

CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller along with CNN’s Andy Rose and Alexandra Skores contributed to this report.