Winter storm blanketing parts of South with snow, ice

A winter storm blanketed parts of the South with quick-falling snow, freezing rain and sleet Thursday, tying up some roads in Tennessee as the system tracked a path through Appalachia toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

Winter Weather Tennessee (THE TENNESSEAN)

A winter storm blanketed parts of the South with quick-falling snow, freezing rain and sleet Thursday, tying up some roads in Tennessee as the system tracked a path through Appalachia toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

The storm began hitting greater Nashville on Thursday morning. About 1.5 to 3 inches of snow was reported for most for of the area by late morning, according to the Nashville Weather Service in Nashville, with areas south of the city seeing the freezing rain and heavy sleet.

The Nashville area could expect the precipitation to taper off in the afternoon and early early evening, with 3 to 5 inches of snow expected, and more in some areas, the weather service said.

Authorities urged people to travel only when necessary, as Metro Nashville Police reported accidents and other driving woes that snarled and slowed several roads. Police reported dozens of wrecks on the road by the early afternoon. A section of Interstate 40 was closed due to a tractor trailer fuel spill crash, according to police, just one of the issues plugging up interstates in the city.

Schools around the region canceled classes, including a closure through Friday for Nashville's public school students. Gov. Bill Lee, meanwhile, closed state offices across Tennessee, and Nashville International Airport reported plenty of canceled and delayed flights.

The storm also hit Memphis and surrounding Shelby County where school systems canceled classes and municipal courts were closed, while crews were monitoring conditions of city streets. Snow began falling mid-morning, after freezing rain and sleet fell on the city earlier in the day. Some flights were likewise canceled at Memphis International Airport.

First lady Jill Biden meanwhile, had to cancel her trip planned for Thursday to view damage from last month's tornado in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The storm presented an expected boon to the ski industry in West Virginia, where up to 8 inches of snow was forecast. Three of the state’s four major downhill ski resorts had suspended on-slope operations earlier this week due to warmer conditions. Now the activity was picking back up.

“West Virginia can’t wait to welcome travelers to our snow-capped mountains this winter,” said Chelsea Ruby, secretary of the state’s Department of Tourism.

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Associated Press writers John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this report.