Weather Slows Airport Travel

Flights arriving and departing out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were experiencing delays of over two hours on Friday because of low visibility, authorities said.

The dense fog that blanketed Metro Atlanta Thursday continued to plague the area Friday although Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist David Chandley said it is expected to burn off during the daylight hours.

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"It's going to take all morning to do it (but there could be) some hints of sunshine for the drive home," he said.

The National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory until 11 a.m. for much of the metro area. Click here for the latest watches and warnings.

Meanwhile, passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson were grappling with delays. The Federal Aviation Administration said flights on average were being delayed by at least an hour with some delays reported that stretched beyond two hours.

Chandley said the high temperature on Friday in the metro area is expected to only reach the mid-40s and lows will plunge to the lower 30s and some spots could fall below freezing. Some parts of the Georgia mountains could see snow flurries, he said.

While fog was the big problem in north Georgia on Friday other parts of the country were dealing with more severe winter weather.

The weather system that dumped rain on Metro Atlanta and freezing precipitation in extreme parts of northeast Georgia on Thursday swept northward through mountain regions of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, dumping snow and glazing roads.

Ice, freezing rain, sleet and snow made travel slippery across much of West Virginia early Friday, with the most severe weather in the eastern mountains and the Eastern Panhandle.

In Virginia, a 23-year-old man was killed Thursday when his Jeep Wrangler hit a slick spot on an overpass and slammed into a barrier.

As the large system churned northward, winter storm warnings or watches were in effect through Saturday in large parts of the mid-Atlantic region. Garrett County, Md., put its snow emergency plan into effect late Thursday.

Three to 5 inches of snow fell across most of North Carolina's western mountains Thursday, where schools closed from Asheville west to the Tennessee line. Farther east, a cold rain fell in Charlotte and there was some ice buildup in the Hickory area.

No power outages were reported in North Carolina beyond what was considered normal, officials said.

"We've been very fortunate," said Duke Power spokeswoman Guynn Savage. "We're not anywhere close to last year's numbers. We are certainly feeling good about the weather thus far, but we are prepared and waiting."

In western Virginia, the storm dumped as much as 8 inches of snow and sleet Thursday, causing havoc on highways and forcing schools to close.

"We've got a mess here," said Sgt. Tom Foster, state police spokesman in Salem.

Dominion Virginia Power spokesman Jim Norvelle said no significant power outages were reported.

Also Thursday, wind gusting to 80 mph toppled trees and cut power to more than 193,000 customers across the country in western Washington state. One person was seriously injured when a tree fell on a car.

"Because of the amount of damage and the trees in the roadways, it's probably going to be days before we get the lights back on to all of our customers," said Dorothy Bracken, spokeswoman for Puget Sound Energy.

A tree fell on a car in Maple Valley, about 25 miles southeast of Seattle, trapping two people, authorities said. At least one person was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

Schools were closed for the day for lack of power in the 4,400-student Snoqualmie School District, 30 miles east of Seattle.

The weather service issued a high wind warning into Saturday morning for western Washington.