Winter storm shuts down Georgia...

Travel affected as winter storm rolls across the South

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 9, 2011 11:25 p.m. EST

About 2 inches of snow had fallen in Atlanta's Grant Park area a couple of hours after it started Sunday night, iReporter Cody Wellons said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: States of emergencies are declared in Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia
• Airlines are beginning to cancel flights
• Snow, ice and freezing temperatures are expected across the southeastern U.S.
• Weather conditions in Atlanta could impact air travel across the country

Check weather and airport delays with our travel tracker.

(CNN) -- A major winter storm system was rolling 

across the southeastern United States Sunday, 

sending out shocks of snow, freezing rain and 

sleet, and forcing some airlines to cancel flights.

AirTran Airways canceled 14 flights Sunday, most 

of them heading into Atlanta, in order to have fewer 

aircraft on the ground there at the time the storm 

hits, spokesman Christopher White said. Another 

270 flights were canceled for Monday, which represents 

a majority of the Atlanta-bound flights for the airline.

There will be a handful of arrivals and departures only, 

White said.

The latest computer models show wintry weather 

extending from northeast Texas through the Carolinas, 

bringing freezing temperatures, snow and ice to areas 

that normally don't see heavy winter precipitation, 

according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. 

The northern regions of Mississippi, Alabama, 

Georgia and the Carolinas should expect heavy 

snow, while ice storms are expected to affect the 

southern regions of those states, he said.

Forecasters expect freezing rain to move north in 

those states, possibly by Monday morning.

South braces for wintery storm

Winter storm warnings covered much of the Southeast 

as the storm system developed Sunday morning in 

Texas and tracked along the Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm 

warnings for parts of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, 

Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. The agency 

warns that significant snow amounts could make 

travel difficult and dangerous. Three to eight inches 

of snow could fall by Monday evening and roads are 

expected to be hazardous through Monday night, 

especially secondary roads.

Various winter storm watches have also been put in 

place by the weather agency, stretching from northeast 

Texas to the far western corner of Virginia.

In preparation for wintry conditions, governors in 

Louisiana and Alabama declared states of emergencies, 

according to the governor's office in Alabama and CNN 

affiliate KSLA in Baton Rouge.

"We face a serious storm that will have an impact all 

across Alabama," Gov. Bob Riley said in a statement. 

He advised motorists to stay the roads.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue similarly issued a state 

of emergency.

Snow began falling in Atlanta during the evening hours 

Sunday, and is forecast to accumulate through Monday 

afternoon. Temperatures at or below freezing are 

expected to remain in place through Tuesday, keeping 

roads dangerous and travel difficult, Hennen said.

Parts of Louisiana could get up to an inch of ice, while 

other states in the region could get between a quarter 

and a half-inch of ice coating power lines, trees, bridges 

and roadways, said CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf.

In Alabama, Auburn University canceled classes and 

viewing events for the BCS championship game on 

Monday night.

Meanwhile, snow moved into the Northeast but the 

region was spared a repeat of the Christmas blizzard 

that virtually shut down large cities such as New York 

and Philadelphia. Emergency management officials 

were able to quickly recover from the comparably 

light dusting of snow that began blanketing the region 

Friday.