After a frigid winter storm closed schools, knocked out power and canceled or delayed flights, the South was slowly thawing Sunday as the weather warmed.
Crews worked furiously and by Sunday morning, power had been restored to parts of North and South Carolina, where tens of thousands of customers lost power in recent days, according to Duke Energy.
Power was back on for 97 percent of retail customers served by Georgia Power — the state’s largest utility — which serves all but four of the state’s 159 counties, it said.
“The crews did not slow down, in fact we brought in additional resources to help us cross the finish line,” reads a press release on the city government’s Facebook page. Atlanta.
Much of the winter weather has moved out of the area, said Dylan Lusk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree, Georgia.
“For the most part, we slowly warm up and eventually thaw a little after snowfall and a layer of freezing rain,” Lusk said.
Warmer weather was expected, but some areas were still dealing with ice and authorities warned people to drive slowly and be careful of slippery spots on the roads, especially as temperatures drop again at night and as the melted snow and ice refreeze.
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“Black ice will return as temperatures drop below freezing this evening through Monday morning,” the National Weather Service said.
More than 600 flights in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were delayed throughout the afternoon, according to FlightAware.com. Parking lots were cleared and runways were operational, but around noon a ground delay was issued for planes to be de-iced, airport officials said.
Seven flights were canceled – an improvement from Saturday, when around 1,000 flights were canceled or delayed.
Earlier this week, the storm brought heavy snowfall — up to 7 inches (about 18 centimeters) in some places — and made roads slick across much of Texas and Oklahoma before moving through towards the east.
In some cities, the storm accumulated more than a year’s worth of snowfall. Nearly a foot (about 31 centimeters) fell in parts of Arkansas. In Memphis, a city that usually sees 2.7 inches (6.9 centimeters) per year, Memphis International Airport sees more than seven inches (about 18 centimeters).
Atlanta was hit with more than two inches of snow Friday, according to the National Weather Service. The agency said it was the first time the city had received more than an inch of snow since 2018.
While the National Weather Service says Gulf Coast residents can expect showers Sunday and Monday, other areas of the country could see snow and prepare for a cold, dry air mass in from the Arctic region, including the Great Lakes region.
Although conditions are expected to improve, some places, notably churches, have announced closures for Sunday.
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.
On Saturday, officials in north Alabama said schools could remain closed Monday if the ice does not melt on secondary roads.
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Cline was reported in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Finley in Norfolk, Virginia.
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