Winter Storm Gianna has been as fierce as advertised in much of the Southeast, bringing more than a foot of snow to parts of Tennessee and North Carolina and triggering travel nightmares on the region's busiest roads.
(MORE:Latest Forecast For Gianna|Maps Tracker)
We're seeing more power outages and other headaches as this storm intensifies into a "bomb cyclone," so stay with us all day for the latest news, and refresh this page frequently to reveal new updates.
(05:56 a.m. EST) An Update On That I-85 Pileup In North Carolina
Late last night, we told you about a major pileup involving about 100 vehicles along Interstate 85 near Kannapolis, North Carolina. According to the Charlotte Observer, the interstatewas reopened at around 9 p.m.after police, fire and the National Guard worked to clear the scene.
The good news: There did not appear to be any serious injuries from the massive collision.
The bad news: It was one of 750 collisions reported to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol by Saturday night.
(05:47 a.m. EST) Power Outages Rising
With a windy system, power outages are always bound to happen. According toPowerOutage.us, here's where we're seeing the highest number of outages in the path of Gianna:
Florida: 16,000 customers
North Carolina: 5,000
South Carolina: 4,800
This adds to the more than 100,000 homes and businesses still powerless in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana more than a week after Winter Storm Fern.
(05:41 a.m. EST) There's Snow In St. Pete!
As the models were suggesting, snow flurries were possible as far south as St. Petersburg, Florida, and shortly after midnight, we got ground truth.
(05:30 a.m. EST) It's Like A Hurricane Along The Outer Banks
Just look at these winds and blowing snow from overnight along North Carolina's Outer Banks as the winter storm intensified and battered the coast:
