(Dallas) A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow and icy roads in much of Texas and Oklahoma was heading toward the eastern and southern U.S. states on Friday, prompting governors to declare a state of emergency and close schools throughout the region.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders mobilized the National Guard to help stranded motorists. Classes were canceled for millions of children in much of the southern states, from Texas to Georgia and as far east as South Carolina.
The heaviest snowfall was expected Friday in the northern half of Arkansas and much of Tennessee, with accumulations ranging from 6 to 8 inches in parts of those states, according to the National Weather Service.
Farther south and east, in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain made travel treacherous.
The storm dumped up to 7 inches in parts of central Oklahoma and north Texas before reaching Arkansas.
More than 4,500 flights were delayed and another 2,000 canceled on Thursday, with more delays and cancellations expected on Friday.
Snow that began falling in metro Atlanta before dawn caused hundreds of flights to be canceled and hundreds more delayed at the Atlanta airport, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware. With radar showing the heaviest precipitation in Georgia was concentrated in a band near the Atlanta airport, controllers declared a ground shutdown before 8 a.m., meaning no planes could land or take off. Atlanta, one of Delta Air Lines’ main hubs, is the busiest airport in the world.
Other airports experienced significant delays and cancellations, including Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas-Fort Worth and Nashville.
The polar vortex of very cold air generally orbits the North Pole, but occasionally ventures south into the United States, Europe and Asia. Some experts say these phenomena are more frequent, paradoxically, because of global warming.
Paul Kirkwood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the storm that swept through the Dallas area will create a “band of snow” that will affect parts of Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked residents to avoid driving if possible. Roads could be dangerous as 75,000 spectators were expected Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington to watch the college football championship semifinal between Texas and Ohio in the Cotton Bowl.
PHOTO JULIO CORTEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A sign warns motorists of icy conditions along Interstate-20 during a winter storm January 9, 2025 in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The system is expected to move northeast by Friday, bringing heavy snow and freezing rain to coastal Virginia and North Carolina. Up to 8 inches of snow could fall in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia through Saturday, according to the weather service.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Thursday as the northern half of the state prepared for snow and ice starting Friday morning. Weather service forecasters said snow and ice were likely to accumulate in the Atlanta metro area, making roads dangerous and potentially causing power outages.
Public schools in metro Atlanta and northern Georgia canceled in-person classes for Friday, with more than a million students given a snow day or asked to stay home for classes. online courses.
Learning from a disastrous 2014 snowstorm that left thousands of Atlanta-area workers and schoolchildren stranded overnight away from home, Georgia officials quickly canceled in-person classes and Closed offices Friday. More than a million public school students in north Georgia have been asked to stay home.
In Tennessee, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest district with more than 100,000 students, closed all schools Friday. With Memphis expected to receive up to 8 inches of snow, officials said two warming centers were open 24 hours a day to provide shelter for people wanting to escape the cold.
Parts of South Carolina prepared for the first winter weather in three years. The state Department of Transportation dusted off its brine and salt supplies and began treating highways and other major highways from Columbia north Thursday. School systems in these areas will close early or all day Friday or hold online learning days.
In North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm, which forecasters said could bring up to 3 inches of snow to many parts of the state, with larger quantities in mountainous areas. Sleet and freezing rain are also likely.
