Snow exits South, marches toward Northeast

ATLANTA — A pre-winter storm that roared through the Deep South and coated half of North Carolina and portions of Virginia in snow pushed northward on Saturday, leaving motorists to brave potentially icy roads and utility crews trying to restore heat and light to thousands.

Forecasters were warning that the slush created during daylight would turn to ice from temperatures dropping below freezing, creating black ice on roads, bridges and other elevated surfaces.

Before Friday, the forecast for North Carolina called for little more than an inch of snow for the central counties with more expected for the higher elevations. The frigid temperatures behind a cold front combined with moisture off the Gulf of Mexico to bring the unusual wintry weather to parts of the South.

By Saturday, Burnsville had reported 14½ inches of snow. The Hendersonville area had 12 inches and Asheville recorded 8 inches of snow. Across the South, preliminary reports to the National 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 was 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 in the Atlanta area. “It’s really not even winter yet. I would not be surprised if we broke a lot of records.”

At the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which sees more passengers annually than any other airport in the world, spokesman Reese McCranie said more than 400 flights were cancelled Saturday. That’s after nearly 1,200 cancellations 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.

Parts of the Northeast and New England are also expecting a share of the snowfall this weekend.