BREAKING WEATHER NEWS: Winter Storm Leon Takes Aim from Gulf Coast to Carolina Coast A large stretch from the Deep South to the Carolina coast is bracing Winter Storm Leon, which could be the most impactful winter storm to hit the region in years. Schools from eastern Texas into the Florida panhandle have preemptively canceled school Tuesday ahead of the storm. Thousands of flights were also canceled ahead of the storm. Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said Monday night that 1,850 Delta flights alone have been canceled system-wide on Tuesday beginning at 11 a.m. There are almost 1,300 miles covered by watches and warnings across the Southeast United States, explained Tom Niziol, winter weather expert for The Weather Channel. Some areas in this part of the Southeast havent seen this kind of wintry weather in 25 years. Freezing rain, sleet and snow are possible as an arctic air mass moving in from the north collides with moisture moving in from the Gulf of Mexico. New Orleans, Montgomery, Ala., Macon, Ga. and Charleston, S.C. are all among the southern cities that could see the wintry weather Tuesday into Wednesday. Power outages are a growing concern. Now is the time to prepare for the ice and snow impacts that this winter storm will deliver Tuesday into Wednesday from the Gulf Coast to the Carolinas, weather meteorologist Chris Dolce urged. Locations that see the most serious ice accumulations from freezing rain should prepare for possibility of lengthy power outages. This includes areas not used to seeing ice storms such as Charleston, S.C. and Savannah, Ga. (MORE: Watches and Warnings) Here is a look at how cities and states started preparing Monday: Alabama Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency Monday night. Schools in Mobile County, Clarke County and Washington County will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The University of Mobile has also canceled classes for Tuesday and Wednesday. Auburn, the University of West Alabama, University of South Alabama and Spring Hill College have canceled Tuesday classes. Alabama transportation crews are hustling to move salt and spreader trucks, normally only kept in north Alabama, to the southern part of the state. The state is also postponing special elections that had been scheduled for Tuesday to fill vacant legislative seats. Florida Escambia County will be in a state of emergency from midnight Tuesday until midnight Wednesday. Schools there will close and non-essential employees will not report to work. Schools will also be closed in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County Tuesday and Wednesday. The University of West Florida and Pensacola State College will also be closed Tuesday as well as NASAs Johnson Space Center. The Florida Department of Transportation is urging drivers in North Florida to use caution, especially over bridges, which can freeze when other parts of the road don’t. FDOT also asked businesses and residents along state highways to turn off irrigation systems that spray or drain onto the roadway to help prevent icing. Georgia Nearly 700 flights in and out of Atlantas Hartsfield Jackson International Airport have been canceled Tuesday in anticipation of Winter Storm Leon. Schools will be closed in Butts, Henry, Meriwether, Bulloch, Effingham and Morgan counties tomorrow. SCAD will be closed Wednesday. Transportation officials said they were planning to pre-treat priority areas and had 700 tons of a sand and gravel mix to treat roads, along with 30 spreaders and 40 snow plows. Two-hundred miles of priority route roadways in the city include 40 bridges and routes that lead to six hospitals, city officials said. City of Atlanta officials said in a statement that theyre planning to open a recreation center in west Atlantas Adamsville neighborhood as a temporary warming shelter until Wednesday afternoon. Louisiana On Monday night, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared a statewide emergency because of the winter storms heading into the state. Earlier, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu declared a state of emergency for Orleans Parish. Jindai is urging people to stay at home as Winter Storm Leon bears down on the coastal region. Forty-five of Louisianas 69 school systems from Rapides Parish south will be closed Tuesday. NOLA reports public schools and most charter schools will be closed in New Orleans and Baton Rouge Tuesday. Louisiana State University, Loyola, Tulane and Southern University will be closed Tuesday and Southeastern Louisiana University will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. State offices will be closed in 44 of the states 64 parishes, Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols said. State Road crews started treating roadways on Monday. Crews will work to keep major highways open for those who absolutely must travel Tuesday or early Wednesday, but road closures are still likely. St. Tammany Parish, which is closing government offices Tuesday and Wednesday, sent out trucks to sand the parishs 125 bridges and stage barricades in case roads or bridges have to be closed. The Plaquemines Ferry will be open and free of charge, DOTD Secretary Sherri LeBas said. Louisiana utility companies Entergy and Clec were preparing for widespread outages, NOLA reports. Entergy Corp. was staging more than 2,100 workers around south Louisiana on Monday and early Tuesday to be ready to fix any downed or broken power lines, said Dennis Dawsey, vice president of customer service for Entergys Louisiana utilities. Mississippi Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant issued an emergency declaration Monday for 36 of the states 82 counties to speed up response to Winter Storm Leon Bryant said 26 school districts had already canceled Tuesday classes because of concerns about slick roads, and other closures were possible. For a full list of school closures, click HERE. Mississippi Gulf Coast community College, Pearl River Community College and Virginia College-Biloxi are closed Tuesday and Wednesday and University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park and Hattiesburg and Tulane University Mississippi Coast Campus are closed Tuesday. The Highway Patrol was sending 20 extra troopers to the southern part of the state, and crews from the Mississippi Department of Transportation were putting salt brine, sand or liquid magnesium on highways and bridges in the area that could see dangerous accumulation. It runs from the I-20 corridor that runs through Vicksburg, Jackson and Meridian, on down to the Gulf Coast. South Carolina School in the Horry County will be closed Tuesday and schools in Charleston Count will close early. The Medical University of South Charleston, College of Charleston and Charleston School of Law will be closed Tuesday and The Citadel will close at noon. Concern about the storm prompted leaders of the South Carolina General Assembly on Monday to cancel this weeks legislative sessions in Columbia. South Carolina Electric & Gas warned customers about the approaching storm, telling them to assume any downed power line is live and never to use outdoor cooking stoves or grills for heat in case of outages. Texas School districts outside of Houston began canceling classes for Tuesday already, including schools in Cleveland, Liberty, Crosby, Pasadena, Liberty, Dayton and Texas City. Texas A&M at Galveston, Brazosport College, Galveston College, Remington College and University of St. Thomas will be also be closed on Tuesday. Approximately 200 flights have been canceled at both of Houston’s major airports. Delta Airlines canceled all of their flights Tuesday from Bush IAH and Hobby. State road crews started to clear roads in Houston on Monday. Virginia Currituck and Perquimans County Schools will both close early on Tuesday. Hyde County government offices will be closed Tuesday through Thursday.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 04:19:39 +0000
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