Powerful winter storm in southern US maintains icy grip

Snow and ice across the southern United States are expected to lose their grip only slowly as the weekend continues.

Major airports including Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, continued to report disruptions Saturday, while temperatures are expected to plummet after sunset Saturday, increasing the risk that melting snow will refreeze, making roads dangerous.

“I absolutely don’t think it’s going to completely melt,” said Scott Carroll, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Atlanta. “Especially the secondary roads, there will probably still be some slush. And then the biggest concern after that is we're expecting very cold temperatures tonight and the clouds will continue to clear. “

While flights were operating, airlines were already racking up new cancellations and delays after Friday's weather slowed air travel.

As of 10 a.m. Saturday, more than 300 flights to and from Atlanta had been canceled, while more than 250 others had been delayed, according to tracking software FlightAware. More than 200 flights to and from Charlotte were canceled, while more than 100 were delayed.

Sarah Waithera Wanyoike, who lives in Lilburn, a suburb of Atlanta, began her second day at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Saturday. Wanyoike arrived at the world's busiest airport before sunrise on Friday to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight, en route to her job in Zimbabwe.

The plane boarded late Friday but never departed, returning passengers to the gate after taxiing and never taking off for six hours. Wanyoike likened her aborted trip to a “hostage situation”, saying her luggage got stuck on the plane and she didn't dare try to return home because she was told to be return to the gate before dawn on Saturday.

“People slept with their babies on the floor last night,” Wanyoike said.

But on Saturday morning, the flight was delayed again and Wanyoike is deeply frustrated by the airline's lack of communication.

“It’s not even on the sign at the airport,” she said. “There’s no indication we’re leaving.”

Snow can be seen covering parts of Atlanta following a snowstorm on January 10, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta experienced a significant amount of snow, but is bracing for the ice that is expected to follow. Megan Varner/Getty Images

Delta Air Lines, the Atlanta airport's largest carrier, said late Friday that it was “working to recover” Saturday, saying the cancellations would be the most severe among morning flights due to crews and planes that weren't where they were supposed to be after the airline canceled 1,100 flights Friday.

Main roads were mostly clear in the South, but few ventured out early Saturday.

The National Basketball Association said the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena was postponed due to severe weather and dangerous icy conditions in the Atlanta area.

The storm that brought snow to the South was expected to move out to sea off the East Coast on Saturday, leaving behind snow showers in the Appalachian Mountains and New England.

After freezing rain pushed power outages to more than 110,000 in Georgia Friday night, many of those outages were restored Saturday. The National Weather Service reported between 0.1 inch and 0.25 inch of ice accumulation around Atlanta from the freezing rain. It wasn't as bad as expected, especially in areas south of the city, where temperatures rose enough to prevent freezing. But Carroll said Saturday's strong winds could still pose risks where the ice remains stuck.

“If there are frozen limbs and limbs, it is possible that some of them will be blown down by the wind gusts during the day today,” Carroll said.

Earlier this week, the storm brought heavy snow and slippery roads to much of Texas and Oklahoma before moving east. Arkansas and North Carolina mobilized National Guard troops for tasks such as helping stranded motorists, and governors in several states declared states of emergency.

School was canceled Friday for millions of children from Texas to Georgia and as far away as South Carolina, giving them a rare snow day.

The storm brought more than a year's worth of snowfall to some cities.

Up to a foot fell in parts of Arkansas, and nearly 10 inches were reported in Little Rock, an average of 3.8 inches per year.

More than 7 inches fell at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. The city typically sees 2.7 inches (6.9 centimeters) per year.

The storm dumped up to 7 inches in parts of central Oklahoma and north Texas.

The polar vortex of ultracold air generally orbits the North Pole, but it occasionally ventures south toward the United States, Europe and Asia. Some experts say such events are occurring more frequently, paradoxically, because of global warming.

The cold snap coincided with rare January wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area.

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