CNN said in its report that the polar vortex's next victim will be the Southeastern U.S. Winter storm warnings had been reportedly raised from Louisiana through Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia, and some part of eastern Tennessee on Tuesday. Moreover, a separate ice storm warning has been raised for the areas in the Georgia-Alabama state line to just west of Charleston, South Carolina. CNN said weather forecasters had provided warnings that possible catastrophic accumulations will happen in Goergia.
On Tuesday afternoon, the international news agency quoted Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, who told reporters, "This is one of Mother Nature's worst kind of storms that can be inflicted on the South. That is ice. It is our biggest enemy."
National Weather Service meteorologist Kurt Van Speybroeck, who is based in Dallas, said, "If you get even a tenth of inch of ice on a road, it's like a skating rink."
Even the White House has taken steps to avoid another state shutdown. The Toronto Sun said that U.S. President Barack Obama already inked a state of emergency for Georgia. The state government will reportedly close on Wednesday.
The Canadian newspaper recalled that Atlanta's roads were practically shut down overnight and over 11,000 students in Alabama have been forced to stay inside their schools for the night due to worsening weather conditions the last time a snow storm hit the state.
CNN said that the new storm will be the initial test for the 32-member task force formed to address state concerns in severe weather conditions. Despite the fact that Georgia will be bringing in 180 tons in additional sand and salt to ensure that the roadways in the region are open, Deal insisted that local citizens should stay indoors to avoid potential harm.
Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina believed that it would be a challenge to man teams in the difficult weather, CNN added. Telling reporters, he said, "Even within the last hour, we're seeing changes in the weather predictions, which makes it very difficult to work on logistics. (Nonetheless) we expect the same type of coordination, activity and teamwork."