Historic Snowstorm Paralyzes Southern US Travel: A Chill That Stops Time

This week has been among the snowiest in years throughout the southern United States as a winter storm delivers accumulating snow, sleet, and freezing rain across over a dozen states.

Residents flocked to local shops in anticipation of the inclement weather to stock up on food and other necessities, with stores in Atlanta running out of bread, milk, water, meat, and soup. Furthermore, school districts in the region closed at the end of the week due to hazardous travel conditions stemming from the winter weather.

The winter storm began to manifest in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on Thursday. Snow quickly piled up on highways, resulting in numerous accidents. Air travel came to a halt at airports in the region, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where over 1,500 flights were canceled on Thursday along with an additional 540 on Friday.

In Dallas, a total of 2.2 inches of snow accumulated, marking the largest snowfall in the city since February 14, 2021. Heavier snowfall occurred to the north, with 3.5 inches recorded in Oklahoma City, establishing a new snowfall record for the date. It was also the snowiest day on the calendar in that city since February 3, 2022, when 3.8 inches fell.

The most significant snow accumulation occurred from eastern Texas through western Tennessee, where over 6 inches were measured by Friday midday, including in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. The highest measurement was 14.3 inches at Mena, situated in west-central Arkansas.

“Road conditions are rapidly worsening. It’s going to be a long night for many out here. You don’t want to get stranded,” Storm Chaser Mike Scantlin stated while broadcasting from Little Rock on Thursday evening. “I observed individuals attempting to navigate this bridge and turn left onto the interstate, and even vehicles equipped with 4-wheel drive are simply spinning their tires.”

By Friday morning, snow shovels became essential across Tennessee, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, and parts of the Carolinas.

“The roads are utterly covered,” Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby reported on Friday morning while in Atlanta. “Many businesses and school districts have ceased operations.”

Atlanta recorded 2.1 inches of snow, the largest snowfall in the city since January 17, 2018, when 2.3 inches were documented.

More than 1,500 flights were canceled and an additional 430 were delayed at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday. Compounding the travel disruptions, a Delta aircraft had to abort its takeoff from the airport on Friday morning due to an engine problem. Four individuals were injured, and over 200 passengers had to evacuate the plane using emergency slides and traverse the snowy tarmac.

The snowfall continued to extend into the Northeast as the weekend commenced, delivering a general 1 to 3 inches of snow across parts of the mid-Atlantic before moving through regions of New England.