Storm moves into mid-Atlantic states with snow

updated 2:33 p.m. ET Dec. 18, 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Holiday travelers and shoppers in the mid-Atlantic region are getting hit by a storm expected to dump more than a foot of snow after hitting the South and parts of Florida with heavy rain.

Airlines along the coastal region were waiving certain fees in anticipation of flight cancellations Friday and Saturday.

In South Florida, homes were flooded and drivers were stranded as the storm system headed north bearing heavy snow, prompting winter storm warnings from the Carolinas to New Jersey.

The National Weather Service warned that snow, sometimes mixed with rain, would fall into Saturday on much of the Atlantic seaboard on the last shopping weekend before Christmas.

Rain and low clouds were causing delays up to 30 minutes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Snow will range from several inches in much of the warning area to as much as 20 inches in Washington, D.C., and parts of western and central Virginia.

Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero said the railway was putting extra crews on duty, in part to keep ice from forming on the overhead lines that power electric trains. Extra locomotives equipped with snow plows would also be available.

Forecasters said it could bring the most snow in the nation’s capital since a February 2003 storm dumped nearly 27 inches at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

Washington’s Catholic University of America canceled the last day of exams Saturday, leaving it to about 250 students and their professors to work out how to take the tests without disrupting holiday travel plans. Erin Vick, a freshman who had two exams set for Saturday, said was going home to Connecticut and her philosophy professor would e-mail the exam to students.

Up to a foot of snow was forecast in parts of Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Travel will become difficult in heavy, wet snow and visibility will be poor in many areas as the storm hits northern areas later in the day, forecasters said.

Roads prepped with salt
Maryland and Washington crews were prepping roads by spraying salt brine solution to prevent snow and ice from sticking.

Delaware emergency management spokeswoman Roseanne Pack says motorists are being urged to exercise extreme caution in deciding whether to drive Saturday.

Officials urged motorists to be cautious in deciding whether to drive Saturday.

The National Park Service closed a road through Newfound Gap between Tennessee and North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains after it got 4 inches of snow.

The Coast Guard sent an airplane to fly from North Carolina to New Jersey warning boaters by radio to stay in port if they didn’t have an urgent need to be on the water.

In West Virginia, Ron Hart’s hardware store sold out of many supplies after a wind storm last week knocked out electricity for days. On Friday, he was swamped again as customers bought heaters, propane, generator cords and plugs, and insulating tape.

“People are having to spend money on bare essentials versus Christmas,” Hart said. “Our Christmas sales are considerably down because what people are having to buy.”

Salt and sleds sell well
Rock salt for roads, shovels and sleds were selling briskly as wet snow fell in Asheville, N.C., which is forecast to get a foot or more through Saturday.

Video   Swamped in Miami Dec. 18: Heavy rains flood parts of Miami. WTVJ's Carolyn Ryan reports. msnbc tv

“People started yesterday. We’re out of kerosene heaters and we’re almost out of fire wood,” said Jim Weintraub, owner of Ace Hardware in Asheville.

“The most popular things beside the salt is the sleds. I’ve been told we’re the only store around with sleds. As I was driving back up to the store my wife was calling me and saying, where are you, people are waiting for sleds!”

Retailers in Asheville said they’ll keep their doors open for holiday shoppers.

“It would take a lot for us to close at this time of year,” Asheville Mall general manager Jeff Washburn told The Citizen-Times of Asheville.

Knee-deep water in Miami
The storm that came out of the Gulf drenched South Florida starting late Thursday.

Water rose knee-deep in downtown Miami and more than a foot in Hollywood, 20 miles to the north. Near Hollywood, a fire truck responding to a call reportedly stalled in rising water.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images This supermarket parking lot in Pembroke Park, Fla., flooded Friday due to the heavy rains from a system making its way north along the coast.

A tornado warning was in effect for southeast Florida early Friday, including the city Homestead. A tornado watch remains in effect until 1 p.m. in southern Florida.

Between 2 and 3 inches of rain were expected in north and east Georgia, raising the possibility of flooding since the ground is already saturated from a wet autumn, the National Weather Service said.

The winter storm warning included the northeast corner of Tennessee, where 2 to 5 inches of snowfall were predicted by Saturday afternoon. Snow showers could reach as far east as Middle Tennessee, but no significant accumulation is expected.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for west Alabama, where rivers were still swollen from heavy rains earlier this week and as much as 3 more inches of rain was possible.

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