2 Dead in North Carolina as Winter Storm Jonas Ices Over South

Winter Storm Jonas kicked into high gear Friday, with a mixture of snow, freezing rain and sleet being reported across the South from Arkansas to Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina. The storm slickened roads, causing icy conditions in North Carolina that left two dead, and led to thousands of power outages across the region.

Winter storm warnings are in effect from the Carolinas to the Appalachians and into the Tennessee Valley. In extreme northwest North Carolina, residents can expect at least 1 foot of snow. Tennessee will see at least 6 inches of snow from the storm. North Carolina's Outer Banks will likely see strong gusts of wind throughout the storm. Snow is expected through Saturday night. 

Arkansas

Winter Storm Jonas had dropped more than 6 inches of snow in the Little Rock area by early Friday morning, breaking a snowfall record set more than 20 years ago.

The National Weather Service says it's recorded 6.2 inches of snow at its office in North Little Rock, just outside the capital city. The winter storm shut down schools and state government offices in central Arkansas on Friday as the snow continues to fall.

Horse racing in Oaklawn Park has been canceled due to rain and snow saturating the track. 

As of 7 a.m. Friday morning, more than 16,000 people have been without power, according to FOX 16. The state's largest utility, Entergy Arkansas, reports about 12,800 homes and businesses are without power.

There have been 20 flight cancelations at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, and all early morning commercial flights except for one have been canceled, reports THV11. Some airlines resumed service around 9 a.m.

Express routes and streetcar service for the bus system in the Little Rock area have been canceled. 

Georgia

Gov. Nathan Deal issued a new state of emergency for 21 counties that began Thursday evening and will last through Sunday. Deal also ordered state offices to close at noon Friday to allow state workers to get off the roads as a winter storm began spreading a wintry mix of precipitation across parts of north Georgia. The governor says the executive order extends until midnight Sunday and frees up state employees and equipment to respond to the wintry weather.

At least 2,500 customers are without power in the state's northeast corner. In Gilmer County, there are more than 370 customers without power, more than 170 without power in Habersham County, and about 100 in Hall and Pickens counties. 

The same rain and wind took down a number of trees in the metro Atlanta area and north Georgia. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, a large tree fell on a home on Conway Manor Drive and a number of fallen trees blocked roads near downtown Norcross. 

Deal said closing state government offices will allow time for roads and bridges to be treated before possible freezing rain and snow.

In metro Atlanta, some large school systems – including Cobb and DeKalb counties– said they would close two hours early Friday. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced the city would close at 11 a.m. on Friday morning. 

North Carolina

Officials have confirmed that a 4-year-old boy has died due to a traffic accident caused by the winter weather.

According to State Highway Patrol Sgt. Michael Baker, a Ford pickup truck carrying the boy and his family spun out on I-77 and crashed into a tow truck Friday afternoon in Iredell County. At the time of the crash, the tow truck was being used to haul out a vehicle that had crashed earlier.

Troopers say the boy was secured in a child seat and died as a result of the impact. There were two adults and three children all under 8 years old in the truck at the time of the crash. 

During a press conference, Gov. Pat McCrory confirmed one person has died due to an accident on I-95 early Friday morning. McCrory stated there were very serious issues occurring on the interstate, primarily because of cars traveling from Virginia, where there's snow, into North Carolina, believing the roads are safe.

"Parts of I-95 are very dangerous when you come into North Carolina," said McCrory. 'The roads are not safe. And that is a great concern."

McCrory also stated that highway patrol officers have responded to 571 collisions and over 800 service calls across the state.  

Accumulating snow and freezing rain were being reported across North Carolina on Friday morning. Flights were grounded, major universities canceled classes and forecasters warned of significant problems as Jonas approached. Much of the state is under a winter storm warning, and many schools were closed.

In addition to the snow and ice, forecasters also say wind gusts up to 30 mph are possible through Friday night, increasing the likelihood of falling trees and branches. 

By Friday evening, there were nearly 123,000 reported power outages across the state. Duke Energy reported about 81,000 customers without power and smaller coops reported around 23,000 without power.

The 26 electricity coops across the state have reported about 2,000 outages. 

The National Weather Service reported 12 inches of snow has already accumulated in Fairview, and areas forecast to get deep snow and ice should prepare for downed trees and power lines, prolonged power outages and impassable roads for an extended period.

About 6,000 people were without power Friday, predominately in the mountains and Charlotte region. 

Lanes of some major highways in western North Carolina are closed because of the storm, state transportation officials said. All lanes are closed on Interstate 26 East at mile markers 53 and 33, and on Interstate 40 East at mile marker 64. All other roads are open, with many of them having been pre-treated with 2 million gallons of brine.

Travel plans could be disrupted for thousands of fans attending Sunday’s NFC championship game at Bank of America Stadium, where the Panthers will host the Arizona Cardinals.

(FORECAST: Get the Latest Details on Winter Storm Jonas)

South Carolina

Residents in South Carolina woke up to snow and ice on Friday, with others seeing rain. The northwestern and central parts of the state are under a winter storm warning that will last through Saturday evening.

State troopers say they are currently working to clear several collisions on Interstate 85 in Anderson County and Interstate 385 in Laurens County. Around 4 p.m. Friday, troopers manning the post covering five counties along I-85 reported more than 50 accidents, most without injuries. 

The National Weather Service reported that downed trees landed on top of a home in Greenville County Friday morning. 

The number of power outages has climbed to more than 30,000, and roads are slushy but still open, according to authorities. Utilties reported there were about 33,000 outages across the state, with Duke Energy reporting about 25,000. 

Winter storm warnings were issued for 15 counties across northern South Carolina, effective until as late as 7 p.m. Saturday, according to NWS. Up to four inches of snow and a half-inch of ice were expected to fall in Greenville, with up to an inch of sleet and snow forecast for Rock Hill.

Tennessee

Interstates are in "pure gridlock" and "just totally shut down" around downtown Nashville, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Miller. Snow plows and salt trucks have been dispatched, but cannot keep up with the weather.

Miller also reported that there are multiple collisions across the state, but so far none have been fatal. 

Between 5 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Friday, there were 200 reports of non-injury collisions and 12 reports 

Gov. Bill Haslam's office announced all state offices will be closed on Friday, as snow and freezing rain began to fall across the state. 

Snow and freezing rain were creating hazardous driving conditions in the Memphis and Nashville areas on Friday morning. Officials urged people to stay off the roads if possible.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon. 

Kentucky

Gov. Matt Bevin declared a state of emergency in response to the winter storm, providing local officials with immediate access to the state's resources for maintaining public safety.

Authorities have reported that traffic on Interstate 75 is backed up for miles due to multiple collisions. According to Kentucky State Police Trooper Lloyd Cochran, as soon as one wreck has been cleared, another accident requires attention. 

Currently there is a six-mile backup along I-75's southbound lanes in Rockcastle County. 

Police officers in Lexington, Kentucky, have responded to 1 injury collision, 17 non-injury collisions and assisted 33 motorists on the interstate, where there are whiteout conditions, according to the police department's Twitter. 

Mike Edmonds, a truck driver, has been stranded at a truck stop all day. The parking lot Edmonds is stranded in became so slick that vehicles would spin out as they tried to get back onto I-75. Those that make it onto the interstate become stuck in traffic due to multiple wrecks in both directions.

Edmonds told the Associated Press that he does not expect to make it back onto the road until Saturday.

When asked how he spent his day, he responded, "Talking with the other drivers about how screwed up the weather is."   

The new top snowfall report from Winter Storm Jonas is 16 inches near Beattyville in eastern Kentucky.

Mississippi

After 2 inches of snow blanketed Oxford and Myrtle in the northern part of the state, the University of Mississippi and various other rural school districts closed Friday due to issues with travel. 

According to Mississippi Highway Patrol Sgt. Joet Miller, there were seven weather-related accidents reported, one with a minor injury involved. 

Eleven counties reported damage from downed trees and power lines, according to NWS forecaster Allen Campbell. 

– Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

The Latest Photos of Winter Storm Jonas