Americans in the deep south were treated to a very rare white Christmas Saturday, and several hundred flights were cancelled amid foul weather that could see much of the US east coast snowbound by Boxing Day.
 |
| Snow falls on the Old State Bank building in Decatur, Ala. on Christmas morning, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2010. |
Light to moderate snow blanketed communities in the southern Gulf states of Alabama and Mississippi, meteorologists said, while Atlanta, Georgia reportedly enjoyed its first snowy Christmas in 128 years.
Snowfalls were expected to break records in the normally mild south, where residents including thrilled youngsters were surprised by the winter weather.
But thousands of travelers were less appreciative of Mother Nature.
Delta Airlines cancelled more than 300 flights due to depart Saturday from Atlanta\'s Hartfield Jackson International Airport, its largest US hub, and another 200 flights from other US cities.
"At this point we\'re still looking at the weather, and we are advising customers that there will be more cancellations (on Sunday and Monday) if the weather moves north," Delta spokesman Kent Landers told AFP.
That\'s a foregone conclusion. The National Weather Service (NWS) on Saturday issued winter storm warnings and storm watches across a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) stretch of the US east coast, from Georgia up to Vermont.
Washington was facing the prospect of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow Sunday. While the US capital region\'s schools are closed for winter break between Christmas and New Year\'s, a storm of that magnitude would heap misery on Monday morning commuters.
"Significant amounts of snow are expected" in the Washington area, and "this will make travel very hazardous or impossible," NWS said in an advisory.
Ice and snow has already snarled road traffic in several southeastern states, including in Georgia\'s northern mountains where six inches (15 centimeters) were reported Saturday.
Asheville, North Carolina saw seven inches (17 centimeters) of snow, and the state\'s department of transportation reported interstate highways partially covered with snow and ice.