That has to do with the bus drivers not getting their in time because of conditions...the busses not starting...heaters broken on busses...and the road crews trying to clear the roads of snow.
Southern Road departments aren't equipped to handle snow the way northerners are. To compound this, most southern snows are hovering right around freezing point, meaning frozen roads are just as likely as actual snow itself. To even further compound it, drivers have mostly ZERO experience driving in slick winter conditions. 1" in the South is likely a greater public safety concern than 8" up north due to not being prepared for it. I remember back in High School the Superintendent didn't cancel school one day when it was questionable whether we would be hit even. We got less than an inch but a lot of frozen rain out on country roads. There were 51 wrecks in 25 minutes leading up to school and he was crucified by parents leading to his termination. Silly but true story.
Mark your calendars, next big cold snap will be in the Feb 5th to 12th timeframe. Return to warm temps after valentines day until the first week of March when another short cold snap will happen. The reason a lot if the southern states shut down with minimal snows/ice is due to no road treatment. Most don't have plows or salt. Look at NC/SC currently under warning for up to 8" or more of snow. That will paralyze most of those areas
