Thousands of drivers on a Georgia highway found themselves in a 15-hour traffic jam caused by the rare snowstorm that hit the southern US a day earlier.
Many were forced to sleep in their own vehicles until shortly before noon on January 22 as temperatures dropped from 29 degrees Fahrenheit to 14 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
The stand still happened in Monroe County, which is about 60 miles southwest of Atlanta, and ended when the Georgia State Patrol cleared the congested northbound side of Interstate-75.
According to FOX5, the Forsyth area received 2.2 inches of snow — highest in metro Atlanta, while Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport set a record after receiving 1.1 inches.
Icy pavement and several accidents north of Forsyth caused the backup, according to Anna Watkins, a spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
The Georgia Department of Transportation reportedly recorded a low chemical disconnect before the storm.
The once-in-a-lifetime Snowfall event covered most of Atlanta in about an inch of snow except Kennesaw, Marietta and Acworth—leaving many underprepared.
Cordele's areas in Crisp County were ultimately covered in nine inches of slush, while Camilla in Mitchell County received eight – both highest in the state.
Pictured: Traffic is still backed up on northbound Interstate-75 in Monroe County, Georgia
Some drivers spent 15 hours without moving, causing them to sleep in their cars
Emma Worley was one of those unlucky drivers who got stuck on Tuesday night and barely moved until 11am the next morning
Emma Worley told WSBTV she was driving home from Savannah to Cherokee County when she got stuck Tuesday evening just north of the exit of Georgia Highway 42. By 11 a.m. Wednesday, she said she had barely moved.
“I didn't sleep,” Worley said. “I've never experienced anything like this in my entire life.”
She said she waited 15 hours with “no food, no sleep, nothing.”
James Talabert and his girlfriend were also stuck in the jam, but had a much longer journey ahead of them. They drove from Miami, Florida to Minnesota.
“We have nothing to eat,” Talabert said. “We only have water and we've been here since last night. It's a bit ridiculous. '
Mark Coombs was on his way back from America, Georgia, to his home in Locust Grove, which is normally just a half-hour drive from where he got stuck.
“It is what it is,” Coombs said, adding that he grew up in the North, where snow is much more common and authorities are usually better prepared. “You go out in bad weather, you have to deal with it.”
But as sunny temperatures began to melt the blizzard, Georgia's Emergency Management Agency warned residents to avoid driving after sunset.
'A refreeze is likely again tonight once the sun sets and any remnants, snow and/or ice will recreate overnight. Black ice is possible for locations with snow/ice still on the ground, so as a safety measure please stay home and off the roads once the sun sets,” the agency wrote in an X post.
The southbound lanes of I-75 were not affected and traffic on both sides moved normally by mid-afternoon Wednesday.
A Georgia Highway becomes covered in snow as drivers begin their commute to Atlanta (photo)
Icy pavement and several accidents north of Forsyth caused the backup, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Snow is starting to remain on I-285 in Tucker, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta
A mother walks with her two sons through heavy snow in New Orleans, Louisiana. The city received as much as 10 centimeters on Tuesday
The historic storm dumped record-breaking levels of snow across about 1,500 miles of the South this week, particularly blanketing much of Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
It closed airports, crippled roads and led to the deaths of at least 10 people, according to ABC 7.
As of Wednesday evening, there were seven people reported in Texas, two in Alabama and at least one person killed in Georgia.
Nearly 2,000 flights to, from or within the US were canceled Tuesday, with about 10,000 others delayed, according to online tracker Flightaware.com. More than 1,800 flights were canceled on Wednesday.
Many areas saw more snow than they had since the 1880s, and frigid cold temperatures allowed some in New Orleans to play ice hockey on frozen city streets or fashion makeshift ski tracks to traverse.
