Published: January 6,2017
Highways have been closed and at least three people have been killed by Winter Storm Helena, which has moved into the Deep South and is causing serious problems.
Blizzard warnings have been issued along the Virginia coast as Winter Storm Helena continues its push east. After pummeling the West with heavy snow, the storm is spreading a wintry mix across a broad belt of the South from Texas to, eventually, North Carolina and Virginia.
This dangerous, deadly winter storm, has already begun to cause serious problems across the Deep South. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have all declared states of emergency.
In short, the winter storm was creating a "travel nightmare" for the region, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn told the Clarion-Ledger.
(MORE: Check the Forecast for Winter Storm Helena)
Accident in the 700blk Southeast Frontage of Central Expwy.
Mississippi
Across parts of the Magnolia State, snow and ice made travel so difficult and dangerous that several spinoffs and crashes were reported, and at least one stretch of Interstate 55 had to be closed.Officials said a jackknifed tractor-trailer forced the Mississippi Highway Patrol to close the northbound lanes of the interstate near Wesson, as both lanes were blocked. All the lanes have since been reopened.
The
Mississippi Highway Patrol reported that by 3 p.m. Friday, it had
investigated 62 wrecks statewide and responded to 141 calls for
assistance, according to the Associated Press.
All but three flights were canceled at the Jackson-Medgar
Wiley Evers International Airport, reports Mississippi News Now. Both
runways were closed around 5 p.m. after they became covered in sleet and
frozen rain.
Alabama
Friday The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency shut down the Tuscaloosa County Toll Bridge due to the weather conditions, reports AL.com. Other roads saw closures and restrictions as they began to become slick and icy. State troopers responded to multiple weather-related crashes.Curfews were put in place for several Alabama counties Friday night as conditions deteriorated, ensuring that residents would stay safe and not attempt to travel. One such curfew was in effect in Cleburne County from 5 p.m. Friday night until 11 a.m. Saturday morning. In Autauga and Elmore counties, an impassable travel advisory was issued from 6 p.m. until Saturday morning, prohibiting travel on all county and Wetumpka City streets. The same advisory was issued for Lowndes County later Friday night.
Snow/sleet/ice mix covering cars in Marion in Perry County. #alwx
The Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency said via Twitter that all roads were closed in Vestavia Hills, a town about six miles south of Birmingham, Friday night. The same was true for all city roads in Talladega.
(INTERACTIVE: Winter Storm Helena Tracker)
Earlier Friday evening, all remaining flights into and out of Montgomery Regional Airport were canceled for the rest of the night, ABC 33/40 reported.
State troopers began reporting crashes due to ice accumulation on I-59 shortly after noon on Friday, WSFA-TV said. Many of the crashes occurred between the 16 MM-23 MM southbound in Greene and Sumter counties.
Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon. The declaration affected all counties in the state, and among the impacts of the state of emergency is the activation of 300 soldiers from the Alabama National Guard to assist mission support teams and command staff.
Tennessee
Schools in Nashville expected to hold classes as scheduled on Friday, but as travel conditions quickly worsened, resulting in hundreds of fender-benders and non-injury crashes, officials decided to dismiss students early, according to the Associated Press. Despite the dangers lurking on the city's slippery roads, all students made it home safely, the report added."We apologize," Nashville Schools Chief Operating Officer Chris Henson told the AP. "We realize that it's been very frustrating for everyone. And the timing was very unfortunate, as far as the weather change."
In Nashville, a Metro school bus slid off the road and hit a mailbox Friday morning just before noon, WKRN.com reported. According to the Nashville Fire Department, students were aboard the bus at the time, but none were injured and all were safely removed from the bus.
A warming center opened Friday night in Memphis at Benjamin Hooks Library, WMCA-TV said. It will be open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., with free rides from MATA to the center, the report added.
Georgia
Nearly 400 flights were canceled at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and that was just the beginning of expected travel problems across North Georgia.Authorities responded to some vehicle crashes on Interstate 75 northwest of the city Friday evening. No injuries were reported.
City and state officials urged residents to get off the roads and stay home for the entirety of the winter storm. But at the airport, airlines were working into the evening to get as many flights out of the hub as possible before the freezing rain and snow began.
"We never close," airport spokesman Reese McCranie told the AP. "This is something we train for throughout the entire year."
Cars were reportedly sliding off of roads in Fulton County Friday night and several crashes were reported due to ice, WSBTV.com reports.
In one of the lighter moments of the snowstorm, Stone Mountain Park's Snow Mountain attraction will be closed Saturday, and the park's Twitter account even poked fun at the decision.
North Carolina
Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency for all 100 counties in North Carolina ahead of the storm, which had already forced nearly all inauguration ceremonies for Gov. Roy Cooper and Council of State members to either be canceled or altered.
@wxbrad @NWSGSP @EricThomasWBTV almost 3 inches in western Lincoln county nc. And still coming down. #snOMG #snow #winterstorm
Saturday's parade was postponed by the Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and the morning swearings-in were moved from the outdoors into an auditorium, the report added.
However, the committee announced Thursday that the auditorium event was canceled, as was a Sunday open house at the Executive Mansion, the AP also said. Friday events surrounding the inauguration will be held as scheduled.
Kentucky
A Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy told WKYT.com slick roads may have played a role in a deadly crash on U.S. 60 just outside Mt. Sterling Thursday morning.The car appeared to have slid off the road before striking a tree. A passenger in the vehicle, identified by the AP as 55-year-old Daniel Noble, died after being rushed to the University of Kentucky Hospital.
The Lexington Police reported eight injury collisions, 44 non-injury collisions, 23 motorist assists and 11 traffic hazards since 10 a.m. Thursday morning.
Several weather-related wrecks were also reported on Interstate 75 in Madison County, according to the Kentucky State Police.
Virginia
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday that it would be closing the Port of Virginia at midnight, as the storm could lead to zero visibility both on shore and on the water.Commercial vessels will be prohibited from both entering and leaving the Chesapeake Bay and officials have urged other boaters to remain docked.
"There is a real danger to all vessels on the water," U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Kevin M. Carroll said in a statement.
A rare blizzard warning has been issued for Chesapeake, Hampton, Norfolk, Northampton Co, Poquoson, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.
Per IEM: Only the 3rd #blizzard warning issued by @NWSWakefield dating to 1986. Both in 2010 for Delmarva (Feb. 10, Dec. 26). #Helena
Texas
Rush-hour traffic was brutal across Dallas-Fort Worth on Friday evening as snowfall slowed travel even more than the usual commute. NBC DFW reporter Reginald Hardwick said authorities responded to 70 crashes in a four-hour span Friday afternoon and evening, and Texas Christian University closed early Friday afternoon.The National Weather Service said the snow that blew south into Fort Worth Friday morning was actually lake-effect snow produced from Lake Ray Hubbard and Lake Lewisville.
Oklahoma
Accidents were popping up all Friday morning across the Oklahoma City metro area due to hazardous roads, KFOR.com reported. At least two of those accidents included injuries.
Oklahoma City firefighters said they responded to eight vehicle accidents
since 6 a.m. Friday, reports KOCO.com. EMSA paramedics said they have
responded to 15 car crashes with injury, two slip and falls with injury,
and a case of hypothermia.
All lanes of Waterloo
just west of I-35 have been reopened after being shut down due to a
semi-truck stuck in the roadway, KOCO also reports.
The West
Helena buried parts of the west before heading eastward, causing two deaths, treacherous road conditions, school closures, flight delays and cancellations around the region.(MORE: Flooding, Outages Reported in Bay Area)
Authorities say one of two missing backcountry skiers who were found in the central Colorado mountains has died. The Lake County Office of Emergency Management said Brett Beasley was found near Turquoise Lake west of Leadville. Beasley was treated for hypothermia but did not survive.
The two had not been heard from since Wednesday. No other information was released.
Skiers throughout the West flocked to the mountains Thursday to take advantage of deep, fresh snow that also proved treacherous as a series of winter storms moved east and threatened turbulent weather across much of the Southeast.
Zaylee Schlect, 8, was killed Tuesday when a tree fell into her family's Otis, Oregon, home, according to the AP. The tree was brought down by strong winds that accompanied the winter storm; Schlect was rushed to a hospital but died shortly after, the report added.
Traffic accidents closed roads in Wyoming and Idaho, while avalanche cut off roads in California, Oregon and Nevada and buried cars in Nevada Thursday afternoon.
The Nevada avalanche, which closed State Route 431 near the summit of Mt. Rose, also caught two backcountry skiers. Search crews were able to locate and rescue all victims, due in part to the fact that victims were wearing beacons and proper avalanche equipment, the Truckee Meadows Fire Department said in a tweet.
#Avalanche
victims were wearing beacons & proper avalanche equipment. ALWAYS
be prepared and equipped when recreating in the back country.
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