Major winter storm: South braces for big blast of snow, ice

Atlanta Jan. 15 (BUS): A forecast of snow and ice as far south as Georgia put much of the Southeast on emergency alert as shoppers scoured store shelves for storm supplies and crews raced to tackle highways and roads as a source of emergency . The Associated Press (AP) reports that a major winter storm is approaching the Midwest.

In Virginia, where a snowstorm left thousands of motorists stranded on clogged highways earlier this month, outgoing Governor Ralph Northham declared a state of emergency and urged people to take the storm seriously.

In North Carolina, some store shelves have been stripped of essentials including bread and milk.

Elsewhere, trucks have begun spraying a brine mixture on hundreds of miles of highways and other roads to prevent ice around the area.

Travis Wagler said he hasn’t seen such a rush for supplies at his store in Abbeville, South Carolina, in at least two winters.

“We sell everything you might expect: skis, but also salt, shovels and firewood,” Wagler of Abbeville Hardware said Friday. That area faced expectations of a quarter inch (0.6 cm) of ice or more on trees and power lines, which could lead to days without power.

“People are worried,” Wagler said.

Meteorologists said parts of Tennessee could get up to 6 inches (15 cm) of snow, and northern Mississippi and the Tennessee Valley region of Alabama could receive light snow accumulations. With dips expected in the 20s across a wide area, any precipitation could freeze, making driving difficult if not dangerous.

By Friday, the fast-moving storm had already dumped heavy snow across much of the Midwest, as travel conditions deteriorated and dozens of schools closed or moved online.

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The storm, after its expected weekend landing in the southeast, was forecast to move to the northeast as snow, sleet and rain fell around the densely populated east coast.

A winter storm watch stretched from north of Metro Atlanta to Arkansas in the west and Pennsylvania in the north, covering parts of 10 states including Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. Travel problems could extend to metro Atlanta, where two inches (5 centimeters) of snow brought traffic to a standstill in 2014, an event still known as “Snowmaggedon.”

A mixture of ice and up to 2.5 centimeters of snow is expected in Atlanta, according to an advisory released by the National Weather Service on Saturday.

In Dawsonville Hardware, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Atlanta, owner Dwight Gilland said he was already out of the heaters by noon Friday with only five bags of salt and sand left.

“I think the pandemic has made people more anxious than usual,” he said.

In the mountains of northeastern Georgia, Rick Storey was buying milk and cereal in the town of Clayton and noticed some empty shelves, mostly food. Snow is expected to reach 10 inches (25 cm) there.

“People are hoarding and erring on the side of caution,” said Storey, director of the Rabon County Chamber of Commerce. “It can be the proverbial calm before the storm.”

Story’s main concern is the potential for power loss. “It may take some time here to restore power because we have more remote areas and mountain roads,” he said.

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The National Weather Service said potential power outages and travel problems could be exacerbated by any layer of ice – and winds of up to 35 mph (55 km/h).

“We don’t know,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said as he announced storm preparations, he did not risk as he declared an emergency and crews began tackling major roads and highways in northern Georgia.

Neighboring South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster also issued an emergency order, saying the state will likely begin to feel the effects of a major winter storm Sunday morning.

“There is the potential for very dangerous conditions due to the accumulation of ice and snow, which are likely to lead to power outages across the state,” he said.

Spokesman Randy Britton said the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina had to borrow workers from other departments to help tackle roads before the storm because COVID-19 caused worker shortages. Volunteers came forward to help, he said, as the city ramped up its regular schedule to prepare for the winter weather.

“We feel really good about where we are,” he said. “We’ve checked the boxes.”

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an emergency order and the administration urged people to stay indoors once the storm hits. The state Highway Agency has warned that the labor shortage means crews may not respond to problem areas as quickly as normal.

“We don’t have a lot of people to drive trucks or operate equipment,” said spokesman Marcus Thompson at the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Many schools and businesses will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which could help reduce travel problems along with temperatures that are supposed to soar into the 40s.

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