Deep Freeze Settles in South

Hundreds of flights canceled as drivers navigate icy roads

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 19, 2008 7:55 PM CST

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Deep Freeze Settles in South — Leah Otts, 12, left, with her friend Reed Galloway, 11, samples the runoff from a snowball in Jackson, Miss., Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008. Most of southern Mississippi is under a winter weather advisory Saturday with reports of heavy snow from Interstate 20 to near the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (Associated Press)

Snow and rain fell on surprised Southerners today, slickening roads and forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights, the AP reports. Some Mississippians saw snow for the first time in 6 years as 5 inches fell in Alabama and experts warned drivers in Georgia to watch for icy roads. Freezing temperatures also hit parts of Louisiana, including New Orleans, which set in motion its freeze plan to shelter the homeless.

Some planes to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were held up by 4 hours today as Delta Air Lines nixed 260 flights and AirTran Airways 77. "We do have flights but with delays due to deicing, customers need to bring patience with them," AirTran said in a statement. In Montgomery, Ala., two children threw snowballs near the state capitol for the first time. "If it snows again, I'm going to move out of the state!" said one eleven-year-old. (More snow stories.)

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