The inclement weather caused dangerous travel conditions in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma, resulting in multiple accidents involving jackknifed tractor trailers and stuck cars. All southbound lanes of Interstate 35 in southern Oklahoma were turned into a standstill near Davis due to a crash that shut down the roadway. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported responding to more than 500 traffic collisions on Thursday, with 85 of them involving injuries. In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Sanders activated the National Guard to aid stranded drivers. State officials in Alabama reported impassable and treacherous roads, leading to the closure of all city roads in Calhoun County due to snow and ice accumulation.
Neighboring Mississippi also experienced several crashes and slide-offs, according to the state’s highway patrol. The Winter Storm Severity Index predicted moderate to major impacts on parts of the South on Friday, with potential disruptions to daily life and hazardous travel conditions, especially in Atlanta, where icy sleet transitioned to snow. Reports indicated widespread snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches in the Atlanta metro area by mid-morning, with mixed precipitation expected throughout the day. The National Weather Service in Atlanta cautioned that freezing temperatures overnight could cause slush and standing water on North Georgia roads to freeze rapidly, creating perilous travel conditions into Saturday.
Georgia officials, having learned from the 2014 “Snowpocalypse” disaster, took proactive measures in preparation for the storm, treating about 20,000 miles of roadway with brine before the first snowfall. Despite these efforts, the state’s Department of Transportation reported numerous crashes and incidents on Georgia’s highways and urged caution, warning that road conditions were deteriorating rapidly. The Georgia Department of Public Safety received over 1,000 weather-related service calls and responded to 225 crashes on Friday.
Flight disruptions were also widespread, with over 56% of flights departing from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport being canceled by early evening. The airport, a major hub for Delta Air Lines, implemented a ground stop at the airline’s request.
Two major airline hubs, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, were forced to cancel a significant number of flights on Friday due to inclement weather conditions. According to FlightAware, 43% of departing flights were canceled in Charlotte, while 23% were canceled at DFW.
The disruption in flight schedules was a result of messy snow and icy conditions that swept across parts of the Carolinas on Friday afternoon. This weather system is expected to impact the affected states and nearby regions of the mid-Atlantic through Friday night.
Charlotte, North Carolina, has not seen measurable snowfall of at least 0.1 inch in nearly two years, but this dry spell is likely to be broken as snowfall is forecasted. The state could see accumulations ranging from 1 to 3 inches, with some areas in western North Carolina’s mountains expected to receive over half a foot of snow by Saturday morning.
The western region of North Carolina is still in the process of recovering from the impact of Hurricane Helene, which struck in September. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein acknowledged the vulnerability of those still recuperating from the hurricane, stating, “We know that those still recovering from Hurricane Helene are especially going to feel the impacts of the storm.” Preparation efforts for the incoming storm began early in the week, with response teams already active in the mountainous areas for several weeks.
In light of the impending weather conditions, all Hurricane Helene disaster recovery centers in the affected region were closed on Friday and Saturday. However, officials confirmed that these centers are scheduled to reopen on Monday morning. More than 100 National Guard troops have been strategically positioned in western and central North Carolina to provide immediate assistance as needed.
The influence of the storm system extended beyond the Carolinas, as snowfall was reported in Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on Friday. A storm originating from Canada merged with the southern storm, drawing moisture northward and resulting in widespread snowfall ranging from 1 to 3 inches in Kentucky and parts of the Midwest.
