New York ( CNN ) -- With memories of a monster Christmas blizzard still fresh , another blast of winter began charging across eastern states Friday , with snow predicted as far south as middle Georgia . A large complex winter system stretched across the northeast Friday , making for messy commutes in cities like Philadelphia . The good news ? The storm was moving fast and was n't predicted to paralyze the area as the massive storm did less than two weeks ago . The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings , watches and advisories for portions of New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Pennsylvania , Massachusetts and Vermont for Friday as well as Kentucky , Tennessee and North Carolina . Several major airlines -- including American , United/Continental , U.S. Airways and Delta -- announced to their customers that they could voluntarily reschedule flights to and from snow-affected areas without penalty . Southwest expanded the option for passengers flying in and out of not just New York and Pennsylvania airports but also to Washington Dulles and Baltimore . Forecasters project between 2 and 4 inches of snow across the greater New York City area , with heavier amounts of snow expected over eastern sections of Long Island . Snow was predicted later in the weekend for Atlanta and areas even further south . Emergency workers , criticized for their slow response to the blizzard two weeks ago , will now get another chance to prove themselves . Mayor Michael Bloomberg said New York has already instituted a series of changes in the aftermath of the Christmas weekend storm . The heavy snow over the Christmas weekend hampered morning commuters , delayed first responders and even prevented aircraft service personnel from reaching airports where 29 international flights were stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours , officials said . Following sharp criticism of the city 's slow response , John Doherty , the chief of the sanitation department , has made management and personnel shake-ups in Brooklyn . An investigation is underway into whether sanitation workers intentionally delayed clean-up efforts over frustrations of demotions and citywide budget cuts . Bloomberg also announced that some city snow plows will be fitted with global positioning systems in a pilot program meant to better track sanitation vehicles as officials brace for a winter storm . `` It gives us the ability to check on the location and progress of our snow plows , '' Bloomberg told reporters , saying that the devices will be added to some trucks in New York 's Brooklyn and Queens boroughs where heavy snowfall last month left many residents snowbound . The city will also deploy scout teams to transmit video images of neighborhoods back to City Hall during clean-up efforts , the mayor said .
Winter storm warnings have been issued in several states . New managers are in place for the state of Florida, and officials say they expect to see more severe weather as a result of this storm. Mayor Bloomberg says some city plows will be fitted with GPS systems to track them .