NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — A storm that blanketed the South with snow Saturday had children eager to sled down hills, while grown-ups were warned to stay off slippery roads as officials worked to clear a mess of wrecks and downed power lines.

Nearly a foot of snow had fallen in parts of western North Carolina, and nearly 10 inches had fallen in some areas north of Memphis, Tennessee. In Nashville, about a half-foot of snow was on the ground, the National Weather Service said.

A central Tennessee woman was killed when a tree weighed down with ice crashed into her mobile home early Saturday, Maury County Fire Department Assistant Chief Roy Brooks told The Tennessean of Nashville. The woman, whose name was not immediately released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

To the northeast, the Washington-Baltimore area was preparing for four to eight inches of snow as the storm approached. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for parts of Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia.

In southern Maryland, one person was found dead after a house fire in Accokeek that firefighters said they had a hard time getting to because of the snow.

About a foot of snow was reported in the Richmond area in Virginia, the weather service said.

In northern Virginia, the weather caused several multi-vehicle crashes along Interstate 81 in Shenandoah County, Virginia State Police said. Four people were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

Transportation officials were urging drivers to stay off the roads.

The weather also cut short a farewell celebration Saturday at the National Zoo in Washington for young panda Tai Shan, who will be flown to China on Thursday to become part of a breeding program.