Southern Regions Affected by Winter Storm Experience Thaw as Power Restoration Gradually Begins

Following a frigid winter storm that closed schools, disrupted power supplies, and caused numerous flight cancellations and delays, the South began to gradually thaw on Sunday.

Power restoration efforts were in full swing, and by Sunday morning, many areas in North Carolina and South Carolina regained electricity after tens of thousands of customers experienced outages over the previous days, according to Duke Energy.

Georgia Power reported that 97 percent of its retail customers had their power restored, serving all but four of the state’s 159 counties.

“Our crews have been working tirelessly, and we have allocated additional resources to expedite the recovery process,” a press release on the City of Atlanta Government’s Facebook page stated.

Much of the severe winter weather has exited the region, said Dylan Lusk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree, Georgia.

“Overall, we’re beginning to warm up and finally thaw out somewhat after the snowfall and a layer of freezing rain,” Lusk noted.

While milder temperatures were anticipated, some regions continued to grapple with ice. Authorities urged drivers to proceed with caution due to slick spots on roads—especially as temperatures are expected to drop again at night, causing melted snow and ice to refreeze.

“Black ice will become a concern as temperatures fall below freezing this evening through Monday morning,” warned the National Weather Service.

Deicing procedures were needed for planes, resulting in over 100 flight delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday—an improvement from Saturday when around 1,000 flights were either cancelled or delayed, according to FlightAware.com. By early afternoon on Sunday, operations had largely normalized, airport officials reported.

Earlier in the week, the storm delivered heavy snowfall, with some areas receiving up to 7 inches, creating hazardous road conditions across much of Texas and Oklahoma before moving eastward.

In various cities, the storm deposited an entire year’s worth of snow. Parts of Arkansas saw up to a foot of snow, while Memphis, which typically averages 2.7 inches annually, recorded more than 7 inches at its airport.

Atlanta experienced over 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snowfall on Friday, marking the first time since 2018 that the city received more than an inch of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Although the National Weather Service anticipates rain showers for Gulf Coast residents on Sunday and Monday, other regions are expected to see snow while preparing for an influx of cold, dry air from the Arctic, particularly in the Great Lakes area.

Though conditions are projected to improve, some venues—such as churches—announced their closures for Sunday.

Schools across the Southern U.S. were closed on Friday, providing millions of children from Texas to Georgia, and extending as far east as South Carolina, a rare snow day. On Saturday, northern Alabama officials indicated that schools might remain closed on Monday if ice does not clear from secondary roads.

By Sara Cline and Ben Finley