Flights were canceled and state officials warned of continued dangerous road conditions Saturday in the wake of the winter storm that closed schools and disrupted travel in parts of the southern United States.
The storm that brought bitter cold and wet snow to the South was moving out to sea from the East Coast on Saturday, leaving behind forecasts of freezing rain in the Appalachian Mountains and New England. But temperatures in the south are expected to drop after sunset on Saturday, increasing the risk that melting snow will freeze and leave roads slick with ice.
“I certainly don’t think everything will melt completely,” said Scott Carroll, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Atlanta, Georgia. “There will probably still be some mud, especially on secondary roads.”
Airport connections remain in place
Major roads were mostly clear, but very few people were out on Saturday morning. The Atlanta Hawks postponed Saturday afternoon’s pro basketball game against the Houston Rockets, citing icy conditions.
Disruptions continued to be reported Saturday at major airports, including Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina. While flights were operating, airlines canceled and delayed more flights after Friday’s weather slowed air travel. As of Saturday afternoon, nearly 1,000 flights in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were canceled or delayed, according to tracking software FlightAware.
Sarah Wethera Wanoeke, who lives in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, was starting her second day at the Atlanta airport on Saturday. Wanyoike arrived at the world’s busiest airport before sunrise on Friday to catch an Ethiopian Airlines flight on her way to her job in Zimbabwe.
The plane boarded late on Friday but never took off, taxied around, dropped off passengers back at the gate and did not take off for six hours. Wanyoike said his luggage was left stuck on the plane and he didn’t dare try to go home because he was told to be back at the gate before dawn Saturday.
“People slept on the floor with their children last night,” Wanyoike said.
Delta Air Lines, the largest carrier at the Atlanta airport, said late Friday that it was “working to recover” on Saturday, adding that cancellations on early morning flights would be the worst because crews and airplanes are there. Were not where they were supposed to be. Airlines canceled 1,100 flights on Friday.
Richmond lifts boil water advisory
Meanwhile, the city of Richmond, Virginia, lifted a boil water advisory late Saturday morning after Monday’s ice storm caused power outages and disrupted the city’s water system.
Mayor Danny Avula said lab tests confirmed Richmond’s water is safe to drink, adding that the boil water advisory for some surrounding counties has been lifted.
The temporary shutdown of the water system affected more than 200,000 people, some of whom were without water in their homes due to low pressure.
Freezing rain caused more than 110,000 power outages in Georgia on Friday night, but most power was restored Saturday. The National Weather Service reported small amounts of snow accumulation due to freezing rain around Atlanta.
Parts of mountainous western North Carolina received 4.5 inches (about 11 centimeters) of snowfall in a 24-hour period that ended at 7 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of Middle Tennessee saw about 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) of snowfall by Saturday morning.
Earlier this week, the storm brought heavy snowfall and slick roads to much of the states of Texas and Oklahoma before moving eastward. The states of Arkansas and North Carolina mobilized National Guard troops for tasks such as helping stranded motorists, and governors declared states of emergency.
starts digging the city
Businesses and churches began digging out from under several inches of snow that fell in Nashville, Tennessee, to reopen for the weekend.
At Judah Temple of Praise, church members removed, salted and blew snow from sidewalks and parking lots on Saturday before Sunday services.
Elder Maiyiah Lockhart said, “We’re not going to use a snow-covered parking lot as an excuse for not praising our God tomorrow.”
Andy Atkins, co-owner of the Bad Luck Burger Club food truck in East Nashville, swept picnic tables and shoveled snow from the sidewalk in front of his business. He closed the truck on Friday but expected customers to come on Saturday.
“Taking a day off is good for the soul, but bad for the pocket,” Atkins said.
Alabama schools may remain closed
School was canceled Friday for millions of children from Texas to Georgia and as far east as South Carolina, giving them a rare snow day. Officials in northern Alabama said Saturday that schools could remain closed Monday if snow does not melt from secondary roads.
The storm resulted in more than a year’s worth of snowfall in some cities.
Up to a foot (about 31 centimeters) fell in parts of Arkansas, and there were reports of about 10 inches (about 25 centimeters) in Little Rock, which is an average of 3.8 inches (9.7 centimeters) per year.
More than 7 inches (about 18 centimeters) of snow fell at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. The city typically receives 2.7 inches (6.9 cm) of rainfall per year.
The storm dropped up to 7 inches (about 18 centimeters) of rainfall in some locations in central Oklahoma and northern Texas.
The polar vortex of extremely cold air usually rotates around the North Pole, but sometimes it moves southward into the United States, Europe, and Asia. Some experts say that, paradoxically, such incidents are occurring more frequently due to a warming world.
