Southern states brace for severe winter storms over MLK Day weekend


The governors of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia declared states of emergency ahead of a winter storm system expected to strike the southeastern United States Saturday, CNN reports.
According to The Associated Press, "2 to 5 inches ... of snow could fall as far south as northeast Georgia from Saturday evening though Sunday, and possible power outages and travel problems could be exacerbated by any coating of ice — and winds gusting to 35 mph."
Schools and many businesses will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, making cancellations unnecessary but also potentially ruining weekend travel plans. The National Weather Service predicts the storm will "move eastward to the Southeast by Sunday morning, then head northeastward to the northern mid-Atlantic by Monday."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Stores are selling out of essentials while road crews desperately work to avoid a repeat of the situation in Virginia that left thousands — including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) — stranded overnight on I-95 earlier this month.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
October 15 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include new DOJ lawyers, trick or treating with ICE, and shaky foundations for peace
-
The Paul Thomas Anderson films to watch next
The Week Recommends Best movies from the director of One Battle After Another
-
Who are the new-wave hackers bringing the world to a halt?
The Explainer ‘Groups’ and ‘states’ are beginning to form concerning partnerships with new ways to commit cybercrime
-
Icarus programme – the ‘internet of animals’
The Explainer Researchers aim to monitor 100,000 animals worldwide with GPS trackers, using data to understand climate change and help predict disasters and pandemics
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversal
Speed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining US
Speed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquake
speed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across Pacific
Speed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Why are flash floods in Texas so deadly?
Today's Big Question Over 100 people, including 27 girls at a summer camp, died in recent flooding