A rare snowstorm across the South caused fatal car crashes and over 1,000 fender-benders, turning highways in in Atlanta, Ga. into parking lots, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Schools and businesses were closed in the early afternoon hours on Tuesday, sending thousands of people on the road at once, AP says. Cold, snowy, and icy conditions paired with a surplus of vehicles created a breeding ground for traffic accidents that caused traffic jams on Atlanta highways, the story notes. Students spent the night on buses or at schools, commuters abandoned their cars or idled in them all night, and the highways-turned-parking lots iced over, creating the treacherous traffic jam, according to the story.

It wasn't clear exactly how many people were still stranded on the roads Wednesday morning, says AP. Authorities worked to get food, water, gas and blankets to people still stranded in their cars and National Guard vehicles and police were there to escort home the thousands of children who were still at schools.

At right, abandoned cars at I-75 headed northbound near the Chattahoochee River overpass are piled up in the median of the ice-covered interstate after a winter snow storm, Wed., Jan. 29, in Atlanta. (AP Photo)

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Atlanta Highways Still in Gridlock 1 Day After Unexpected Storm

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