( CNN ) -- A snowstorm that could last up to 18 hours was on its way to southern New England , and Boston , Massachusetts , could be snowed under with up to 15 inches , the National Weather Service said Sunday afternoon . A snowstorm is threatening parts of the Northeast with as much as 15 inches of snowfall . Monday 's commuters in the region could face a nightmare with blowing and drifting snow , freezing temperatures , gusty winds and periods of sleet . Flight delays and cancellations were likely , the weather service said . Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared a snow emergency starting 10 p.m. Sunday in anticipation of the storm , CNN affiliate WCVB reported . Boston public schools will be canceled on Monday . At 2:15 a.m. Monday , light snow was starting to fall , WCVB reported . Winter storm warnings straddled Interstate 95 from Maine to the Carolinas , and they also were issued in parts of Georgia and Alabama . Delta Air Lines canceled 300 flights , most of them to or from Atlanta , because of snowy weather , spokesman Brian Kruse said Sunday . It was snowing in Atlanta , where Delta is based , and 2 to 4 inches was expected . David Spear , a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Transportation , expected traffic chaos . `` People tend to get a little animated out here at the sight of snow , '' he told CNN . `` Our concern is going to be -- as we move into the evening hours and the temperature drops -- that that slush becomes ice and then we have a real situation for our morning commute tomorrow . '' He said about 200 DOT trucks were deployed to help make roads safe for motorists . In northern Connecticut , southern New Hampshire and most of Rhode Island and Massachusetts , a winter storm warning was to be in effect from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 p.m. Monday , the weather service said . Such a warning is issued when winter weather conditions are expected to make travel dangerous . As the storm continued its northward trek late Sunday , Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina was closed at 9 p.m. for snow removal from runways , according to the Federal Aviation Administration . Farther north , Richmond International Airport in Virginia was closed at 10:45 p.m. for the same reason , the FAA said . Both airports were expected to reopen before midnight . The heaviest snow , up to 15 inches , was forecast for the heavily populated I-95 corridor between Boston , Massachusetts , and Providence , Rhode Island , northeast Connecticut and north into the Merrimack Valley in northeast Massachusetts , the weather service said . As much as 3 inches per hour could fall between 10 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday . In Washington , Mayor Adrian Fenty declared a snow emergency Sunday afternoon , meaning any street designated as `` snow emergency route '' by signs would be cleared of any parked vehicles , towed if necessary , so snow plows could work unimpeded . Watch report on the storm system » . `` It is important that our crews have access to the roads from curb-to-curb in order to plow the snow , '' said Fenty , whose city was expected to get up to 8 inches of accumulation Sunday night and early Monday with accumulations up to 10 inches by Monday night . `` This is one of the first plow events we have had this season , and we want to ensure we are able to maintain clear and safe roadways as we move into Monday morning , '' Fenty said . Forecasters said as many as 14 inches of snow could pile up in Philadelphia and New York City , starting Sunday night . Lesser amounts of snow were reported as far south as Alabama , although Charlotte , North Carolina , could see up to 8 inches . Watch snowfall in Georgia » . In Memphis , Tennessee , CNN iReporter George Brown said Sunday that forecasters had predicted `` Teflon snow , '' which would n't stick to the ground . But the snow that fell was much heavier , he said . iReport.com : Share photos of icy , snowy weather in your town . `` We were getting an inch or more an hour , '' he said . `` Some roads are impassable because the folks here are n't use to dealing with slick streets . Many cars are off the interstate , and hotels are packed , '' Brown said . Watch winter storm cause accidents » . Snow in Germantown , Tennessee , was more than 5 inches deep by Sunday afternoon , forecasters said . `` I talked with our maintenance director , Bill Hazlerig , who tells me he has n't seen snow like this in West Tennessee in many years , '' Julie Oaks from the Tennessee Department of Transportation told CNN . Watch the situation in Tennessee » . Tennessee called in 260 employees in the western portion of the state alone to salt and plow roadways through the night , she said . By Sunday afternoon , about 45 cars and semi-trailers had pulled over on the shoulder of Interstate 40 , Oaks said . Watch the snow come down in Memphis » . Rebecca Horsley , an iReporter from Pelham , Alabama , near Birmingham , said snow began falling there Sunday at 6 a.m. , interfering with her planned birthday celebration . `` It looks like we may have to reschedule , '' she said . CNN 's Sean Morris , Lee Garen and Chuck Johnston contributed to this report .
Winter storm warnings issued from New England south to Georgia , Alabama . Washington declares snow ##fall , could get 10 inches by Friday morning . Heavy snow could make for nightmarish Monday commute in parts of New England . Snow falls in Georgia ; Georgia - based Delta Airlines cancels 300 flights .