Winter warnings for Mid-Atlantic as storms flooding South Florida head north bearing snow

Storms flood Fla., bear snow for mid-Atlantic

MIAMI — Homes were flooded and drivers were stranded in parts of South Florida as a wet storm system headed north bearing heavy snow for the mid-Atlantic region, prompting winter storm warnings Friday from the Carolinas to New Jersey.

The National Weather Service warned that snow, sometimes mixed with rain, would fall into Saturday on much of the Atlantic seaboard on the last shopping weekend before Christmas.

Rain and low clouds were causing delays up to 30 minutes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Snow will range from several inches in much of the warning area to as much as 18 inches in parts of western and central Virginia. Travel will become difficult in heavy, wet snow and visibility will be poor in many areas as the storms begin later in the day, forecasters said.

Rock salt, shovels and sleds were selling briskly as wet snow fell in Asheville, N.C., which is forecast to get a foot or more through Saturday.

“People started yesterday. We’re out of kerosene heaters and we’re almost out of fire wood,” said Jim Weintraub, owner of Ace Hardware in Asheville.

“The most popular things beside the salt is the sleds. I’ve been told we’re the only store around with sleds. As I was driving back up to the store my wife was calling me and saying, where are you, people are waiting for sleds!”

Maryland and Washington crews were prepping roads by spraying salt brine solution to prevent snow and ice from sticking, authorities said.

Delaware emergency management spokeswoman Roseanne Pack says motorists are being urged to exercise extreme caution in deciding whether to drive Saturday.

The storm that came out of the Gulf drenched South Florida starting late Thursday.

Water rose knee-deep in downtown Miami and more than a foot in Hollywood, 20 miles to the north. Near Hollywood, a fire truck responding to a call reportedly stalled in rising water.

A tornado warning was in effect for southeast Florida until 11:30 a.m. Friday, including the city Homestead. A tornado watch remains in effect until 1 p.m. in southern Florida.

Between 2 and 3 inches of rain were expected in north and east Georgia, raising the possibility of flooding since the ground is already saturated from a wet autumn, the National Weather Service said.

The winter storm warning included the northeast corner of Tennessee, where 2 to 5 inches of snowfall were predicted by Saturday afternoon. Snow showers could reach as far east as Middle Tennessee, but no significant accumulation is expected.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for west Alabama, where rivers were still swollen from heavy rains earlier this week and as much as 3 more inches of rain was possible.

Associated Press writers Alysia Patterson in Raleigh, N.C., and Alex Dominguez in Baltimore contributed to this story.