Winter Storm Wipes Out Power for Thousands in the South

At the Wall Street Journal, "Storm Wipes Out Power for Thousands in South: Many Lose Electricity in Georgia, Carolinas; At Least One Death From Icy Roads":

ATLANTA — A deadly storm that has hammered the Southeast—knocking out power in three states and jamming roads in North Carolina—is expected to sweep farther up the coast Thursday, bringing more heavy snowfall to a winter-battered region.

Georgia and the Carolinas were raked with freezing rain and snow Wednesday, on the front end of a two-day storm that the National Weather Service warned could be of historic proportions.

Of particular fear was an ice cover that could measure more than an inch, slicking roads and weighing down power lines. The snow and rain, pelting in waves, hardened into a thick layer of frozen slush.

Roads were gridlocked in Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., as people who drove to work in the morning when skies were clear headed home in a fast-falling snow. Some abandoned their cars and walked home or checked into hotels.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said it responded to twice as many accidents as usual.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory asked people to hunker down for a "tough 48 hours," staying off the roads and taking precautions at home.

"Don't put on your stupid hat," Mr. McCrory said a news conference.

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