Rare Winter Storm Sweeps Across the South: What to Know

3 weeks ago 14

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A storm that brought snow and ice to the Gulf Coast states was moving east on Friday.

Fire trucks and cars line a highway that is covered with snow.

By Judson Jones

Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The Times.

Jan. 10, 2025, 5:52 a.m. ET

Parts of the South not used to winter weather were waking up on Friday to a mix of snow and sleet that has already closed schools, as officials warned that travel may become next to impossible and power outages were likely.

Key things to know

In the Southern United States, it doesn’t take huge amounts of snow or ice to disrupt everyday life.
Snow fell from North Texas to Memphis from Thursday evening into early Friday, with up to five inches reported in Little Rock, Ark., and Oklahoma City as of 5 a.m. Eastern, according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of the Mid-Atlantic, the Ohio Valley and the Northeast could see one to three inches of snow from Friday into Saturday.
Though the storm will move out to sea by Saturday, the region will see cooler temperatures into next week, prolonging the likelihood of hazardous travel conditions.

In Atlanta, where public schools were closed, forecasters expect freezing rain and up to three inches of snow starting Friday morning. With the northern half of Georgia under a winter storm warning, Gov. Brian P. Kemp declared a state of emergency on Thursday because of the forecast and said it would be in place through Tuesday.

The governor asked residents to avoid travel as much as possible in the next few days. “Hazardous conditions, including ice and snow, can develop quickly and make travel very dangerous,” he said in a statement.

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee also announced a state of emergency on Thursday afternoon. While Tennessee is familiar with winter storms, some areas, like Memphis, could receive their largest two-day snow totals in 40 years. Parts of the state are still recovering from Helene, which moved through the state as a tropical storm in September.