Winter storm maintains its icy grip in the south of the country

(Atlanta) Flight cancellations increased and authorities warned of continued danger on the roads Saturday following a winter storm that forced the closure of schools and disrupted travel in parts of the southern United States.

A storm that brought bitter cold and wet snow to the South was moving out to sea off the East Coast Saturday, leaving behind forecasts of snow showers in Appalachia and New England. However, temperatures are expected to drop after sunset Saturday in the south, increasing the risk that slush will refreeze, making roads icy.

“I certainly don’t think everything is going to melt completely,” said Scott Carroll, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Atlanta. Secondary roads, in particular, will likely still have slush.”

Main roads were mostly clear, but few people ventured outside early Saturday. The Atlanta Hawks postponed their professional basketball game Saturday afternoon against the Houston Rockets, citing icy conditions.

Major airports, including Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, continued to report disruptions Saturday. Airlines canceled and delayed flights after Friday’s weather slowed air travel. As of midday Saturday, more than 300 flights to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were canceled, while nearly 500 more were delayed, according to flight tracking software FlightAware. More than 200 flights to and from Charlotte were canceled, while nearly 200 more were delayed.

Sarah Waithera Wanyoike, who lives in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, was starting her second day at the Atlanta airport on Saturday. She arrived at the world’s busiest airport before sunrise Friday to catch an Ethiopian Airlines flight, en route to her job in Zimbabwe.

Passengers boarded the plane after a delay Friday but never left, returning passengers to the gate after taxiing around and never taking off for six hours.

M^me Wanyoike mentioned that her luggage got stuck on the plane and she did not dare try to return home because she was told to return to the gate before dawn on Saturday. The flight was delayed again, however, and she felt deeply frustrated by the airline’s lack of communication.

Delta Air Lines, the Atlanta airport’s largest carrier, said late Friday that it was “working to get the situation back on track” Saturday, saying cancellations would be worse among morning flights due to overcrowding and delays. planes that weren’t where they were supposed to be after the airline canceled 1,100 flights on Friday.

Major power outages

Power outages affected nearly 110,000 people in Georgia Friday night due to freezing rain, but most power was restored Saturday. The National Weather Service reported between 0.25 cm and 0.6 cm of ice accumulation around Atlanta, less severe than expected. Scott Carroll, however, stressed that Saturday’s strong winds could still pose risks where the ice has stuck.

Parts of mountainous western North Carolina saw up to nearly 4 inches of snow in a 24-hour period that ended at 7 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Parts of middle Tennessee received about 6 inches of snow Saturday morning.

Earlier this week, the storm brought heavy snow and slippery roads to much of Texas and Oklahoma before moving east. Arkansas and North Carolina have mobilized National Guard troops for tasks, such as helping stranded motorists. Governors also had to declare a state of emergency.

Schools could remain closed

School was canceled Friday for millions of children from Texas to Georgia and as far as eastern South Carolina, giving them a rare snow day. Authorities in north Alabama said Saturday that schools could remain closed Monday if the ice does not melt on secondary roads.

The storm brought more than a year’s worth of snow to some cities.

Up to 12 inches of snow fell in parts of Arkansas, and nearly 10 inches was reported in Little Rock, which averages 3.8 inches of snow per year.

More than 7 inches of snow fell at Memphis International Airport, Tennessee. The city typically records 6.9 centimeters per year. The storm dumped up to 7 inches of snow in parts of central Oklahoma and north Texas.