After a severe winter storm, southern states are slowly recovering as power is restored and temperatures rise
Atlanta: This week, a nasty storm dumped heavy snow, with some areas getting up to 7 inches. It made roads super slick across Texas and Oklahoma before heading east.
By Sunday, the South was starting to thaw out after the freezing storm caused schools to close, power outages, and flight delays. Power crews worked hard, and by Sunday morning, many in North and South Carolina had their electricity back on.
Georgia Power reported that 97% of its customers had their power restored. They even brought in extra help to speed things up, according to a post from Atlanta’s city government.
As the winter weather moved out, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service said things were finally warming up a bit. But some areas still had ice, so folks were warned to drive carefully, especially at night when things could freeze again.
Black ice was a concern as temperatures were expected to drop below freezing again. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, they had to deice planes, and over 100 flights were delayed on Sunday, which was better than the previous day when about 1,000 flights were affected.
This storm was no joke; it brought more snow than some places see in a year. Arkansas saw up to a foot of snow, and Memphis, which usually gets just a couple of inches, recorded over 7 inches.
Atlanta got more than 2 inches of snow, marking the first time since 2018 that they had over an inch. While Gulf Coast areas might see some rain, other parts of the country are bracing for more cold air from the Arctic.
Even though things are looking up, some places, including churches, decided to close on Sunday. Schools were shut down on Friday for millions of kids from Texas to Georgia, giving them a rare snow day. In northern Alabama, schools might stay closed on Monday if the ice doesn’t melt off the roads.
