Southerners struggle to dig out of snow

Associated Press

ATLANTA

Temperatures plummeted late Monday, turning slushy streets into sheets of ice across Southern states that are more accustomed to sunshine than snow. The wintry blast has grounded flights, cut power to thousands of homes and even forced Auburn University to cancel viewing parties for the national-championship bowl game.

Snow ranging from several inches to more than a foot blanketed states from Louisiana to the Carolinas — a region where many cities have only a handful of snowplows, if any. In many areas, the snow began turning to freezing rain, making roads even more treacherous.

The storm shut down most cities and towns, closed many businesses and canceled almost every flight at Atlanta’s Hartsfield- Jackson International Airport, the world’s busiest. At least nine people were killed in weather-related traffic accidents.

Worried shoppers left grocery-store shelves bare, and families without electricity huddled in dark, chilly homes. Predicted overnight lows in the 20s raised the threat of more outages as snow and freezing rain accumulated on tree branches and power lines.

Atlanta, which got 4 to 7 inches, has just eight snow-plows. The city hired a fleet of 11 privately run trucks to help spread salt and gravel.

The weather began rolling across the South on Sunday, coating bridges and roads with snow, sleet and freezing rain. The governors of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee declared emergencies. Schools and colleges called off classes.

More than 2,000 flights were canceled around the South — affecting passengers as far away as Scandinavia — and Atlanta’s airport was nearly deserted on what normally would be a busy Monday morning.

Icy roads were blamed in separate accidents that killed two people in Louisiana, two in Oklahoma and one each in Kansas and Alabama. Three more drivers were killed in Arkansas when they veered off the pavement.

The storm system was expected to spread north to Ohio and could hit the snow-weary Northeast later in the week.