Snowed-in South makes the best of day off from work, school

Pigs wander the shoulder of Interstate 40 near the state line with Tennessee in Haywood County, North Carolina, after a crash on Monday Dec. 10, 2018. The crash caused delays while local farmers helped authorities corral the pigs. (North Carolina Department of Transportation via AP)
Pigs wander the shoulder of Interstate 40 near the state line with Tennessee in Haywood County, North Carolina, after a crash on Monday Dec. 10, 2018. The crash caused delays while local farmers helped authorities corral the pigs. (North Carolina Department of Transportation via AP)

eDURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Snowed-in Southerners made the best of a day without work or school Monday while officials warned roads remained treacherous even as the worst of a wintry storm departed.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain tapered off across states from Georgia to West Virginia that were recovering from outages, canceled flights and numerous car wrecks. However, officials cautioned Tuesday’s commute could be treacherous as plunging temperatures turn melted snow into ice on roads. The storm was blamed for at least three deaths in North Carolina.

And an overturned truck full of pigs added to traffic delays in western North Carolina.

Scores of schools canceled class Monday, and many businesses and government offices — including Virginia’s executive-branch agencies in Richmond — were closed.

For those staying close to home, the storm provided a chance to sled, drink hot chocolate with friends or simply take in a wintry landscape in places that don’t often see so much of the white stuff.

In North Carolina’s Durham County, where a foot fell in places Sunday, kids reveled in a day off from school as a second dusting of snow and sleet fell Monday morning. Children threw snowballs or built snowmen, and a young girl in a pink jacket threw her hands up and yelled “Merry Christmas!” at a passer-by along a residential sidewalk.

A few cars passed on the road, but several people decided it was safer to get where they were going by foot.

Andrew Dedman, 16, was walking about a mile through a flurry to visit a friend on their day off from high school.

“We’re just going to hang out, sit around, drink hot chocolate,” he said.

Others ventured Monday into ankle-deep snowdrifts to walk dogs. Ron Gordon, 75, donned boots and a hooded winter jacket to take out his dog, Easy.

“She seems to like it,” he said, holding a walking stick for extra traction. “She enjoys it more than I do.”

The semi-retired photographer said he could work inside for the rest of the day, and he can cook on the gas stove even if the house loses power again, as it did for several hours Sunday. He said he moved to Durham from Chicago several years ago and was surprised to see this much snow: “I didn’t expect this.”

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said a livestock truck carrying pigs overturned on Interstate 40 westbound near the Tennessee line. The westbound lanes were closed temporarily Monday so the pigs could be corralled, but at least one lane was reopened by mid-afternoon.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday that the worst of the storm had passed, but residents — particularly motorists — should keep watch for dangerous conditions. Melting snow and ice could result in slick road conditions Tuesday morning as temperatures fall and moisture refreezes, Cooper said at a news conference. The Highway Patrol already had responded to more than 670 collisions and nearly 1,600 calls for services since the storm began.

Snowfall totals topped 20 inches in some areas of the western part of the state, according to the National Weather Service.