Snow, sleet close schools in Georgia

The lingering effects of a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain forced the cancellation of dozens of airline flights and closed some schools Thursday morning.
Sleet and snow started falling Wednesday in central Georgia as moisture from the Gulf of Mexico collided with a blast of cold air from the northeast. It moved north gradually, hitting metro Atlanta and northeast Georgia late Wednesday.
The northeast Georgia mountains received up to 3 inches of snow, with the rest of north Georgia getting rain and some sleet Wednesday into early Thursday morning.
Rain was expected to end during the day with temperatures continuing to climb to the upper 30s in the northeast Georgia mountain. The forecast called for highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s in the rest of north Georgia.
With icy surfaces at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines canceled about 70 flights early Thursday, Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott said. AirTran canceled 12 flights, said spokesman Tad Hutcheson, who said more cancellations were possible at airports further north as the storm moved up the East Coast.