ATLANTA (AP) — Snow was expected to spread Thursday from Mississippi across northern Georgia and up to the Washington, D.C. area, the National Weather Service said. The winter blitz follows days of heavy rain across much of the Southeast.

Already, snow was falling in central Mississippi early Thursday, the weather service said. Meteorologist Alan Campbell in Jackson said the heaviest snow activity in Mississippi was along the Interstate 55 corridor.

Winter storm warnings were in effect for parts of Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

The snow was moving into Alabama after heavy rain led to some flooding. Some areas of Alabama had received as much as 6 inches of rain since Sunday.

In north Georgia, the heaviest snow was expected to fall in the mountains, with lighter amounts possible in parts of the Atlanta area.

Snow was also possible across much of North Carolina, with as much as 8 inches in the northwestern mountains.

About 1 to 3 inches of snow was expected in the Washington area and parts of central Maryland.