Flights Canceled Because Of Snow In South? Delta Issues Winter Weather Waiver Ahead Of Dangerous Storm

Snow could cause transportation issues this week in southern parts of the United States unaccustomed to winter weather. A storm could cause "slippery travel along a 1,000-mile swath" on Friday and Saturday this week, according to AccuWeather.

The storm dumped some several feet of snow in California, helping the drought-stricken state, and could soon move east, traveling across Texas and into the Southeast. The storm's path, and how much it interacts with arctic air in the South, could determine how much snow hits and which areas get hit the hardest. How much damage the storm will bring to the South was unknown Wednesday.

"The realm of possibilities range from a simple change to cold air and dry conditions to snow, ice and dangerous travel over the interior South in areas that typically receive little or no snow during the winter," said Mike Doll, AccuWeather meteorologist.

Perhaps the biggest danger could come after the snow melts and re-freezes. That brings icy roads, which are particularly dangerous for travel, especially in areas not accustomed to dealing with wintry driving conditions. Accuweather listed Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Atlanta; Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh, North Carolina; and Richmond, Virginia as the cities most at danger for winter weather of some sort.

The storm has already caused some issues for potential travelers. Delta Airlines announced Wednesday it was issuing a waiver that allowed passengers to have a one-time refund for flights to certain cities on Friday and Saturday that are canceled or delayed for 90 minutes or longer. Even travelers to those cities whose flights aren't affected can make a one-time change to their ticket. The cities Delta listed as eligible are Asheville, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Greensboro, North Carolina; Greenville Spartanburg, South Carolina; Huntsville, Alabama; Jacksonville, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee; New Bern, North Carolina; Newport News, Virginia; Norfolk, Virginia; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Tri-Cities, Tennessee; and Wilmington, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the Sierra Nevada area of California could see some 10-15 feet of snow pile up this weekend after a storm already dropped multiple feet this week, according to USA Today. A second, more intense storm is expected to move in over the weekend after the current storm moves east to the U.S.' South.