Flights cancelled, roads icy as storm hits US South

A BLAST of winter weather pushed across the South on Sunday, coating bridges and roads with snow, sleet and freezing rain and causing hundreds of flight cancellations.


Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Alabama Governor Bob Riley issued emergency declarations. Mr Riley said workers had readied snow and salt trucks to help clear icy roads, and he asked all residents to stay home on Sunday night and Monday unless necessary.


Mississippi officials warned motorists early on Sunday that ice was already accumulating on roads and bridges in many counties, creating hazardous driving conditions.


The National Weather Service posted winter storm warnings from east Texas to the Carolinas.


Daniel Lamb, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi, said heavy snow had fallen on Sunday afternoon from Arkansas to north Mississippi. Other areas of the South saw freezing rain and sleet.


Forecasters expected the most extreme conditions in Mississippi and northern Louisiana over night with the possibility of heavy ice accumulation in places. 'And since it's going to be pretty cold over the next few days, we could see whatever accumulates sticking around for a few days,' Mr Lamb said.