This is a tale of two storms.
The one that (kind of) hit Atlanta and the one that hit everywhere else.
Atlanta’s was anti-climactic. Everywhere else was worse. Ask folks along a line from Arkansas to Virginia.
Unlike last year, when city officials were caught completely by surprise, Atlanta was prepared this time. But the storm stayed north of town.
Snowmageddon 2015 it wasn’t.
Just can’t win
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal did his part. He ordered a state of emergency for 51 northern counties.
Authorities were ready too. There were more snow plows, more trucks to spread brine and they were out in force ahead of the bad weather.
And people helped out by staying home or leaving work early.
Still, social media wasn’t about to give the governor a break.
“As a stockholder of a grocery store here, I appreciate you guys invoking a false panic again. #ATLsnow,” tweeted Tommy Sale.
North of the city, there was lots of snow, especially in the mountains, but Atlanta mainly got rain.
It was a disappointing prospect for those who had their hearts set on making a snowman from a rare snowfall.
“Serious question, how am I supposed to build a snowman with rain?” asked Angelica Monteon.
“lol, a little imagination and your freezer,” responded Ashley Hamilton.
Across the South
Other parts of the South found enough snow to put together more than your basic snowman.
In northeast Mississippi they were channeling “Star Wars” and the ice planet Hoth in creating a snowy version of an Imperial walker.
In Alabama, the snow inspired a host of Elsas, Annas and Olafs to spread their wintry magic “Frozen” style.
Moving on
By early Thursday, the storm system had largely left the Deep South behind, instead spreading a blanket of white on the Carolinas and northward.
In North Carolina, Raleigh and Charlotte had a snowy night. The National Weather Service said 5 to 9 inches would be common in those cities, with up to 12 inches possible.
The storm may drop snow in almost every one of North Carolina’s 100 counties before it’s done.
Left behind
The storm did leave behind its share of slippery misery.
North of Atlanta, Interstate 75 was in gridlock Wednesday afternoon.
Catching flights was a nightmare in some southern cities. Atlanta, Dallas and Charlotte were the hardest hit. Some 1,600 flights were canceled at all U.S. airports on Wednesday. Nearly 900 have been scrubbed for Thursday.
In Alabama, Joe Day and some friends thought it would be better for them to drive home to Evansville, Indiana, instead of worrying with canceled flights. They didn’t make it far. They were stuck on I-65 about 30 miles north of Birmingham. Joe says a hill and snow-covered roadways led to backed-up traffic for miles.
In Tennessee, 30 weather-related deaths have been reported in the past 10 days.
A small child died in Mississippi after the car she was in hydoplaned. And a student from the University of Mississippi in Oxford was killed in a sledding accident Wednesday.
It’s only snow
The South’s fascination with snow is a bit bemusing for those who live north of the Mason-Dixon line.
After all, in Boston, they were over winter about 70 inches ago.
“How’s the snow treating you, southern US folks? Having fun yet?” asked Canadian L.M. Murphy on Twitter.
“DON’T MOCK OUR SOUTHERN SNOW PANIC!” warned Whitney Waddell in Nashville.
And then there was this bit of empathy from points north.
“I love all the snow pictures of my southern friends because they actually appreciate the snow,” tweeted Abby Kreuser.
That’s probably easier to do when you’re not buried up to your eyeballs in it.