RALEIGH, N.C. (REUTERS) — Snow, sleet and freezing rain forced the cancellation of dozens of flights, made roads treacherous and closed schools across much of the U.S. mid-Atlantic region Monday.
At least nine people were killed in road accidents due to the hazardous weather conditions in North Carolina and South Carolina, officials said.
Airlines reported flights canceled or delayed in the Washington area, which was coated with up to 6 inches (15 cm) of snow overnight, and at other airports including cities in the Carolinas, Georgia and the Midwest.
Schools were closed in many parts of North and South Carolina and in and around Washington, where federal government workers were allowed to take unscheduled leave. A blast of freezing rain was expected to move over the Carolinas during the afternoon and evening, making conditions even more hazardous.
In North Carolina, hit by snow and sleet Sunday, the state’s highway patrol said it had confirmed three weather-related deaths on the roads since early Sunday morning.
Gov. Mike Easley warned people to avoid the roads and predicted power outages.
“We are expecting freezing rain to blanket most of the state this afternoon and evening,” said Easley. “Driving conditions are already unsafe due to the weekend storm, and this additional ice will make travel extremely dangerous.”
Easley alerted about 1,000 North Carolina National Guard soldiers and airmen for possible active duty in response to the winter storm Sunday. About 50 soldiers were on duty Monday morning.
“We were fortunate to have weathered Sunday’s storm without major outages, but we stand prepared for what could be a significant icing event today,” said Jackie Joyner, Progress Energy’s system storm coordinator. The utility mobilized 1,800 staff to respond to the storm.
In South Carolina, roads were extremely hazardous. Sid Gaulden, a spokesman for the state’s Public Safety Department, said six people had died in weather-related accidents, three Sunday and three Monday.
Emergency-management officials said Gov. Mark Sanford had ordered state offices in 31 counties closed.
In central and northern Georgia, numerous counties were under an ice-storm warning until Monday evening.
The weather caused dozens of flight cancellations.
At American Airlines, spokesman Tim Wagner said 38 flights were canceled Monday, including 28 in the Washington area and eight at Raleigh.
Thomas Becker, a spokesman for Northwest Airlines, said 25 flights were canceled Monday, all out them out of Minneapolis, a major hub for the airline.
U.S. Airways said it had about 25 cancellations in the mid-Atlantic region.
At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, Peggy Estes, spokeswoman for Delta Air Lines, said several flights had been canceled and others had been delayed.
