it, a couple inches, maybe three, but the result was an urban nightmare, truly terrible. like a zombie movie, gridlock that stretched for miles along the highways that bring commuters into and out of atlanta every day. it seems like every commuter in greater atlanta decided to rush home all at once, and then at the same time, officials called off school and started sending kids home. except that nobody in a car or truck or bus could go anywhere for hours, for five hours, ten hours and 12 and 20 hours and counting. people sat in their cars on icy roads all day and all night. cold, hungry, absolutely stuck. a true urban nightmare. the next state over, in birmingham, alabama, people experienced the same unwinding of normal life. frankly, the snow and ice largely won. steven nix took this photo yesterday near birmingham, alabama, this is on i-280,