Parts of the South not accustomed to winter weather saw a mix of snow and sleet on Friday, as officials closed schools and warned that travel could be nearly impossible.
Winter storm warnings were in effect from eastern Oklahoma to Virginia, and snow and freezing rain fell in cities including Jackson, Miss.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Atlanta by 7 a.m. Eastern.
Key Points to Know
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In the Southern United States, it does not take massive amounts of snow or ice to disrupt everyday life.
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Snow fell from North Texas to Memphis from Thursday evening into early Friday morning, with up to five inches of snow falling in Little Rock, Ark., and Oklahoma City by 5 a.m. Eastern, according to the National Weather Service.
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The Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley and parts of the Northeast could see one to three inches of snowfall Friday through Saturday.
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Although the storm will move out to sea by Saturday, temperatures will remain cold in the region for the next week, increasing the potential for hazardous travel conditions.
Flight cancellations had already begun, with nearly 600 flights canceled by 7 a.m. Friday in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Hundreds of flights in and out were cancelled. Too.
Public schools were closed in AtlantaAnd forecasters expect freezing rain and up to three inches of snow through Friday morning.
Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp declared a state of emergency on thursday Due to the forecast and said it will remain in place until Tuesday. He asked residents to avoid traveling as much as possible over the next few days. “Hazardous conditions, including ice and snow, can develop rapidly and make travel very dangerous,” he said in a statement.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also announced emergency situation On Thursday afternoon. While Tennessee is familiar with winter storms, some areas like Memphis may experience the largest two-day snowfall in 40 years. Parts of the state are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which passed through the state as a tropical storm in September.
Forecasters in Nashville urged residents not to focus on the exact level of snowfall, as any amount could make travel risky.
In Atlanta, it has been almost 11 years since a small blizzard, locally known as “Snowmageddon”, shut down the city and turned into a hurricane. Punchline for the drama “Saturday Night Live”,
Although snow has been falling in the city since then, the latest storm may still unsettle people as the type of rainfall keeps changing during the day. What is expected to start out as snow Friday morning will likely turn into sleet and then freezing rain in the Atlanta metropolitan area, with untreated roads threatening to turn into icy hazards by the evening.
Across North Carolina, a similar scenario will begin to unfold around noon Friday and last through Saturday. Up to two inches of accumulation is currently expected in the Mid-Atlantic region east of the Allegheny Mountains.
The storm is then expected to move away from the coast, where it will strengthen but remain far enough away to avoid becoming a major threat to the Northeast.
The unusual cold on the East Coast is expected to continue into next week, which may lead to some snow accumulation around the region. And areas where snow has melted during the day may refreeze at night, creating continued hazards.