Hazardous weather conditions after winter storm hits southeastern US with snow, ice

Hazardous weather conditions after winter storm hits southeastern US with snow, ice
GETTY/Andrew Bret Wallis
January 22nd, 2022 | ABC News Radio

(NEW YORK) — The southeastern United States is weathering snow and ice yet again a week after the region was slammed with hazardous winter conditions.

Two to 4.5 inches of snow have been reported from South Carolina to east Virginia, as winter weather alerts were in effect Saturday morning from Georgia to Maryland as the storm moved out of the region.

Cold temperatures throughout the weekend will continue to make for hazardous road conditions.

In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper urged people to stay at home due to dangerous road conditions and widespread power outages. The governor had issued a state of emergency ahead of the winter storm.

North Carolina Highway Patrol troopers had responded to more than 1,500 calls for service and 945 collisions in affected areas since Friday afternoon, the governor’s office said midday Saturday. Most were related to cars sliding off the roadway and becoming stuck or single-car collisions, the office said.

 

 

“With limited improvement and lows plummeting into the teens Saturday night, black ice will become a large hazard for the eastern half of the state,” North Carolina Emergency Management said. “Additional melting is expected Sunday, but below normal temperatures [will] keep the potential for black ice into early next week.”

Runways were also impacted by sleet and snow. At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, a Delta flight arriving from Washington, D.C., Friday night was taxiing off the runway when it slid into mud around 9 p.m. local time, airport officials said. There were no reported injuries, and the airfield reopened shortly following snow removal at an alternate runway.

Nearly 16,000 power outages were initially reported early Saturday in North Carolina, mostly in coastal counties, Cooper said, as utility crews were working to restore power. As of 10 a.m. some 4,000 outages remained, the governor said.

Authorities in South Carolina and Virginia also urged drivers to avoid impacted areas due to snow and ice conditions.

ABC News’ Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.

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