americanscot

Yet another round of winter weather was bearing down on the Southeast on Wednesday after coating parts of the nation's snow-weary midsection in white.

The new storm comes barely a week after a record-setting weather system pummeled the Plains and the Midwest.

Parts of Oklahoma had received up to 12 inches of snow, according to the state Department of Emergency Management. Wind chills were between 10 and 30 degrees below zero in some areas, and authorities were urging people to stay off the roads.

A winter storm warning was in place across portions of nine states -- from Texas to Alabama. A winter weather advisory also touched portions of Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. The warnings and advisories were expected to move eastward throughout the day.

Snow and sleet are predicted as far south as central Texas, with 1 to 3 inches expected in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the National Weather Service said.

Weather crews at Dallas' Love Field airport worked throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning in an effort to keep runways clear, officials said.

But at Dallas-Fort Worth International Aiport, the wintry weather prompted airport authorities to cancel 12% of Wednesday's flights, according to Dallas Aviation Department spokesman David Magana.

Wednesday morning, a portion of Interstate 40 in the Texas panhandle near Amarillo was closed until further notice, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Later in the day, the system is expected to bring rain and snow to many areas of the Deep South before delivering a wintry mix along portions of the East Coast on Thursday.

Memphis, Tennessee, could see 2 to 4 inches of snow, with 4 to 8 inches expected in Little Rock, Arkansas, forecasters said. Lesser amounts were expected in Nashville; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta.

Some 80 people in Oklahoma had been injured as a result of the storm, the state Department of Health said Wednesday. That total included 63 falls, one carbon monoxide poisoning, 14 injuries in traffic accidents, and two "cut/pierce injuries."

Twenty-seven Greyhound bus passengers stayed at a shelter overnight in a Tulsa church, the state Department of Emergency Management said. Six warming stations were opened "for any stranded motorists and others displaced by the storm." State offices in seven counties were closed, along with numerous schools and businesses.

Oklahoma City's Will Rogers International Airport reopened one runway and began limited flights, after the aiport had shut down earlier Wednesday morning due to weather.

Some early departures at Tulsa's airport were also canceled.

Bitterly cold temperatures will lock the center of the country in the deep freeze as the system moves east.

"Behind the system, cold high pressure will bring temperatures 30-40 degrees below average to parts of the central U.S. by midweek," the weather service said.

Rain is likely across most of the Southeast on Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Scattered snow is expected in the Great Lakes region Wednesday.

Last week's historic storm left its mark on at least 30 states, dumping about 2 feet of snow on the Chicago area and prompting Oklahoma's governor to declare a state of emergency.

Another winter system at the end of the week left central and southern Texas a mess.

Hundreds of flights were canceled as the winter weather threatened the plans of Super Bowl enthusiasts headed for the game last Sunday in Arlington, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

An unrelated storm system put portions of the North Carolina coast including the Outer Banks under a winter storm warning Wednesday. The weather service said 2 to 4 inches of snow could fall in inland areas, with 1 to 3 inches expected on the coast.