Biggest snowstorm in years shuts down travel across southern US

Dallas, Atlanta and Asheville were a handful of southern U.S. cities that had their biggest snowstorm in years, which shut down travel across the region. Areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene were hit by the snowstorm.

Last week was one of the snowiest in years across the southern United States as a winter storm spread accumulating snow, sleet and freezing rain across more than a dozen states.

Nearly 53% of the United States was covered in snow on Sunday morning in the wake of the latest round of wintery weather, with more snow on the ground in northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia than areas farther north, such as Iowa and Wisconsin.

Snow snarls travel, cancels 1,000s of flights

People stormed grocery stores ahead of the wintry weather to stock up on food and other essentials, with stores in Atlanta sold out of bread, milk, water, meat and soup. School districts across the region also shuttered at the end of the week due to the risk of dangerous travel amid the wintry weather.

The first snowflakes began to fall in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Thursday. Snow quickly accumulated on highways, leading to scores of accidents on the snow-packed roads. Travel came to a standstill at airports across the region, including at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where more than 1,500 flights were canceled on Thursday and another 540 on Friday.

In Dallas, 2.2 inches accumulated, making it the biggest snowfall in the city since Feb. 14, 2021. Even more snow fell to the north, including 3.5 inches in Oklahoma City, setting a new snowfall record for the date. It was also the snowiest calendar day in the city since Feb. 3, 2022, when 3.8 inches fell.

The heaviest snow piled up from eastern Texas into western Tennessee where over 6 inches accumulated by midday Friday, including in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. The highest amount was 14.3 inches at Mena, located in west-central Arkansas.

By Friday morning, snow shovels were needed across Tennessee, northern Alabama, northern Georgia and into parts of the Carolinas. "The roads are just completely covered," Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby said on Friday morning while reporting from Atlanta. "A lot of the businesses and school districts have closed down."

Atlanta measured 2.1 inches of snow, the biggest snowfall in the city since Jan. 17, 2018, when 2.3 inches fell. Interstate 85 was shut down northeast of the city on Friday as motorists struggled amid the wintry conditions.

Over 1500 flights were canceled, and another 430 were delayed at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday. To add to the wintry travel headaches, a Delta jet had to abort takeoff from the airport on Friday morning due to an engine issue. Four people were injured and more than 200 passengers had to exit the plane on slides and walk across the snowy tarmac.

Snow covers North Carolina communities recovering after Hurricane Helene

A blanket of snow covered North Carolina just three months after the region was reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, with some residents living in damaged homes.

In Asheville, North Carolina, 1.8 inches accumulated, the biggest snowfall in the city since Jan. 16, 2022, when 10.4 inches piled up. Higher snowfall totals were reported in the nearby mountains with may areas measuring 4-8 inches. A few of the highest elevations measured nearly a foot of snow.

Warming shelters were also opened in eastern Tennessee for folks who needed somewhere to stay amid the snowstorm.

The snow is likely to stick around into the new week as cold air remains entrenched across the southern U.S., with temperatures as much as 20 degrees below the historical average for mid-January.

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