Icy hazards persist across U.S.

ATLANTA – The unyielding cold spell gripping much of the nation was expected to hang on tight over the weekend, though some areas that saw snowfall during the week were expected to have drier weather.

In Atlanta, more accustomed to winter temperatures in the low 50s, a glaze of ice coated roads Friday after light snow overnight melted and froze. And authorities said the continuing freeze called for renewed caution on the roadways.

Nearly 30 cars piled up in a pre-dawn crash near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“I wanted to stay home today, but my boss never called me back, so I thought I should try to get in,” said Beth Ament, 30, who was fueling her car so she could get to a nearby transit station to take the train to her job in downtown Atlanta.

Multiple deaths have been blamed on this week’s cold, including a 44-year-old man whose body was found face-down in the snow early Friday in Billings, Mont.

Travel was beginning to return to normal Friday at Chicago’s airports, after a storm that dumped about 8 inches of snow. The Chicago Department of Aviation said there were still minor delays at O’Hare International Airport because crews had to deice aircraft before they could take off.