Winter weather has left its mark on the south, and is predicted to drop more frozen precipitation into the weekend.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency ahead of Friday’s expected winter weather.
The order suspends federal regulations limiting the hours commercial truck drivers can drive in a single stretch. It also prohibits price gouging for goods or services related to storm preparation
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a Winter Storm Warning for Metro Atlanta, which will go into effect beginning 7am Friday and end at 7am Saturday.
According to forecasters, snow showers could begin by 7 a.m. moving to the east.
Snow showers are predicted to mix with freezing rain and sleet through the late morning and early afternoon.
Snow began blanketing the south hitting Texas, and Arkansas on Thursday.
The Associated Press reported a winter storm brought heavy snow and icy conditions to parts of the U.S. South on Thursday, forcing officials to close schools, cancel flights and warn residents in some of the worst-hit areas to stay off roads as it lumbered eastward through Oklahoma and Texas.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders mobilized the National Guard to help stranded motorists, and school was canceled for Thursday and Friday for millions of children across a wide tract of southern states from Texas to Georgia.
The storm dumped as much as 6 to 7 inches (about 15 to 18 centimeters) in some spots in central Oklahoma and northern Texas before pushing into western Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy snow fell in Little Rock, Arkansas, and further south and east into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain glazed roads and made travel treacherous, according to the AP.
“I have not seen any accidents, but I have seen a couple of people get stuck out on the road and sliding around,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot trailer loaded with paint, auto parts and other supplies through slick, slushy roads in central Oklahoma on Thursday. “People do not need to be driving.”
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
