America braces for potentially catastrophic winter storm

In Atlanta, which was caught unprepared by a storm two weeks ago, streets and highways were largely deserted this time. Schools and any businesses in the corporate capital of the South have announced closures for the next two days, Fox News reported.

The scene was markedly different from the one Jan 28, when thousands of children were stranded all night in schools by less than 3 inches of snow and countless drivers abandoned their cars after getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours and hours.

In the South, the snow and ice will stick around for a while, since there isn't a big warm-up in the immediate forecast, according to the weatherman.

There should be some melting on Friday, with temperatures near freezing point, but the temperature will still be below average on Saturday.