Overview
- Forecasters reported bands of 8 to 12 inches or more across eastern North Carolina, with blizzard-like whiteouts along the coast and dangerous drifting snow.
- Wind gusts approached 70 mph on the Outer Banks, and the National Weather Service warned of 2 to 4 feet of ocean overwash around Sunday morning high tide, threatening parts of NC Highway 12.
- Nearly 200,000 customers were without power in the South, and airlines had canceled about 1,577 flights by early Saturday, with Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham hardest hit.
- States of emergency were in effect in Georgia and the Carolinas as officials activated shelters and, in some areas, National Guard support to aid storm response.
- The Weather Service said below-freezing temperatures would reach South Florida by Sunday, with the region facing its coldest readings since 1989 and widespread cold alerts across the East.