Powerful winter storm that dumped snow in US South maintains its icy grip
ATLANTA– A winter storm that brought heavy snow and slick roads to the southern U.S. kept its icy grip on much of the region into the weekend.
The number of power outages around Atlanta increased Friday evening as meteorologists warned of accumulating rain showers. More than 110,000 customers were without electricity, mostly in the Atlanta area.
“As our crews expected based on the forecast, additional freezing rain and falling trees caused power outages as the sun set,” Georgia Power said via social media.
“Conditions remain challenging overnight with icy roads and wind, but as long as it is safe we will operate,” the utility said.
Transportation officials in Georgia urged people to stay off the roads until Saturday afternoon, and snow and ice were also forecast to continue in the Carolinas, Virginia and the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.
Earlier this week, the storm brought heavy snow and slick roads across much of Texas and Oklahoma before moving east. Arkansas and North Carolina mobilized National Guard troops for tasks such as helping stranded motorists, and governors in several states declared states of emergency.
School was canceled for millions of children from Texas to Georgia and as far east as South Carolina, making them a rare snow day.
The storm brought more than a year’s worth of snowfall to some cities.
As much as a foot (about 31 centimeters) fell in parts of Arkansas, and there were reports of nearly 10 inches (about 25 centimeters) in Little Rock, which averages 3.8 inches (9.7 centimeters) per year.
More than 7 inches (about 18 centimeters) has fallen at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee since Thursday. The city usually sees 2.7 inches (6.9 centimeters) per year. City officials in Memphis were also concerned that wet roads would freeze overnight.
The wintry mix of sleet, snow and ice has made travel treacherous in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The sleet and snow that fell in South Carolina and North Carolina turned to freezing rain.
For kids coming home from school on Friday, the sleet also made a pretty good snowball.
In Atlanta, Mikayla Johnson, 12, made snow angels and snow figures.
“My first thought was, ‘Wow!’” said Mikayla, who was outside with her father, Nate. ‘We haven’t had snow since I was four, at least good snow. So I was really happy.”
The storm dumped as much as 7 inches (about 18 centimeters) in some places in central Oklahoma and northern Texas.
Snow began falling in metro Atlanta before dawn Friday, canceling hundreds of flights and causing hundreds more delays at the world’s busiest airport, according to flight tracking software FlightAware.
Four passengers were injured after a Delta plane headed to Minneapolis aborted start that morning, according to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. One passenger was taken to hospital, while three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The incident contributed to further delays, although Delta said it was unclear whether the weather had anything to do with the flight’s takeoff cancellation. The airline said there were indications of an engine problem.
Other airports with significant delays and cancellations included those in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas-Fort Worth and Nashville, Tennessee.
The storm could continue to impact air traffic, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday evening.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott urged residents to avoid driving if possible, even as some 75,000 fans were expected at AT on Friday&T Stadium in Arlington for the college football championship semifinal between The state of Texas and Ohio.
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As much as 8 inches (about 20 centimeters) of snow was predicted in parts from Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia through Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Officials urged drivers to give crews room after a semitrailer struck a Tennessee Department of Transportation truck in Smith County.
Parts of South Carolina experienced winter weather for the first time in three years. The state Department of Transportation treated interstates and other major highways from Columbia north, but vehicles slid off icy Interstate 95 south of the city.
An outdoor public inauguration ceremony Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina, for Gov. Josh Stein and other elected officials was cancelled. The storm’s track overlaps much of the western area of North Carolina that was affected Hurricane Helene last year.
In Richmond, Virginia. Mayor Danny Avula said officials have deployed additional resources to monitor the city’s water treatment plant suffered a multi-day outage after a snowstorm earlier this week, including a new backup battery and additional water filters.
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Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press reporters Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Jeff Amy in Atlanta; Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Georgia; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City; Isabella O’Malley in Philadelphia; Olivia Diaz in Richmond, Virginia; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed.
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Read more about the AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment.