Snow slows or closes much of the Deep South
ATLANTA — An unusually heavy December snowfall across much of the Deep South tapered off Saturday; however, icy road conditions were still a threat, and thousands remained without electricity throughout the region.
Weather forecasters warned that moisture on roadways could freeze overnight, causing black ice to form. The National Weather Service said even after flurries stopped falling, temperatures in areas such as metro Atlanta would still be cold enough for layers of thin ice to form on bridges and other elevated roadways.
The frigid temperatures behind a cold front combined with moisture off the Gulf of Mexico to bring unusual wintry weather to parts of the South.
Preliminary reports to the weather service showed up to 10 inches of snowfall in northwest Georgia, with 7 inches of accumulation in parts of metro Atlanta. Another 10 inches of snow were reported in Anniston, Ala., while up to 7 inches were reported in Mississippi. Rare flurries were even reported in New Orleans.
“It’s very, very abnormal and rare that we would get totals like that this time of year,” said Sid King, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “It’s really not even winter yet. I would not be surprised if we broke a lot of records.”
But the snow wasn’t expected to last. King said warming temperatures and sunny skies should melt most of it in time for Southerners to return to work and school Monday.
At the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which holds the world record for annual number of passengers, airport spokesman Reese McCranie said the airport canceled more than 400 flights Saturday. That’s after nearly 1,200 cancelations Friday.
Not everyone was anxious to flee. Members of a central Florida family found their way to Atlanta specifically to witness the white drifts.
“It’s beautiful,” said Tim Moss, while his two sons and wife threw snowballs at each other near a McDonald’s parking lot early Saturday. He said the family — including his mother — made a spontaneous decision late Friday to leave 80-degree weather in Florida and drive seven hours to see snow for the first time.
“A lot of people who live here are staying in,” said Moss. “They don’t want to get out in it. But we want to get out and run around in it.”
The snowstorms knocked out electricity to thousands across the South. More than 334,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity Saturday afternoon in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. About 235,000 of those still in the dark were in Georgia.