'Catastrophic' Ice Storm May Leave Southern States in the Dark

Over the next three days, a winter storm will likely plunge large parts of the southeastern U.S., including storm-weary Georgia, into darkness as a “catastrophic” load of ice knocks down trees and power lines.

The storm is already spreading a swath of snow, ice and rain across the South and could produce up to an inch or more of ice in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. State officials and the National Weather Service have warned of widespread power outages to come.

The NWS’ Atlanta forecast office warns that it could be a weather event of “historical proportions," particularly from Atlanta eastward on Interstate 20. The NWS has been stressing the severity of the storm for days, but its latest update hammers home its potential impact: "The ice accumulations remain mind-boggling if not historical." Read more...