A rain for a snow at Deep South

A snow emergency set to take effect Monday morning in Washington will not happen. The National Weather Service was forecasting a slight chance of snow before noon, then a mix of rain and snow, with an above-freezing high of 36 degrees.

The area already has shoveled itself out of a season record snowfall of 55.9 inches, according to preliminary National Weather Service estimates.

Most winter weather advisories and warnings were canceled early Monday except for portions of northern Alabama and Georgia at higher elevations. However, the advisories and warnings stretched into Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Forecasters had warned of an additional 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation in the South on Sunday night into Monday morning. The Deep South had up to 6 inches of snow in some areas Friday.

Early-morning commuters in much of the Deep South, braced for the possibility of a second round of snow and ice, had an easier-than-expected ride Monday as warmer temperatures kept winter weather at bay.

As of 5:30 a.m. ET, the temperature in Atlanta was 41 degrees, well above the freezing mark, and rain was falling. Forecasters initially had expected the rain to turn into snow after 1 a.m. Monday.

Hundreds of flights were canceled out of Atlanta in anticipation of the newest round of winter weather.

Delta Air Lines said Sunday that it was canceling 400 flights from early morning through noon Monday, the majority in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Georgia. AirTran Airways canceled 48 flights scheduled to depart or arrive in Atlanta between 8 and 10 a.m. Monday, and a spokesman said more cancellations were possible.

Beleaguered states in the mid-Atlantic region also may catch a break from the heavy snowfall initially predicted.