Football fans prepare to chill out

(CNN) -- A day after seeing rare snowfall, a frozen South was waiting to thaw Sunday. Elsewhere in the nation, football fans were preparing for NFL games that promised to be cold at best -- and downright bone-chilling at worst.

Several inches of snow fell in some Southern locations Saturday, with spots in Mississippi and Alabama receiving 3 inches, said CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.

While there was little accumulation, water left on roads, bridges and overpasses froze as temperatures across the South plunged into the low 20s and high teens overnight.

The freeze was expected to be short-lived, as temperatures were forecast to rise above the freezing point Sunday. However, Sunday night lows in many places were expected to dip right back below freezing.

As many as 1,000 flights arriving at or departing from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport -- the nation's busiest -- were canceled Saturday, and those that did arrive were experiencing delays of up to four hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Watch snow snarl air traffic »

No delays were posted for the Atlanta airport Sunday, according to the FAA's Web site; however, Hartsfield was expected to be busy as it attempted to catch up.

Meanwhile, temperatures in the country's midsection were dangerously low -- and not much warm-up was expected before Sunday's sold-out NFC championship game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.

The forecast high temperature for Green Bay, Wisconsin, is 3 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. As of Sunday morning, however, the wind chill factor was 22 below zero -- and not expected to change much throughout the day, Schneider said.

The Packers' Web site said a Wisconsin-based retailer is donating 30,000 hand warmers for fans at Lambeau Field, and offered tips for fans on beating the cold.

Those tips include dressing appropriately, wearing loose layers and a hat, wearing mittens instead of gloves, wearing waterproof insulated boots, and drinking warm beverages.

The site also encouraged fans to drink alcohol only in moderation.

Although the game will be cold, it will not be the coldest ever played at Lambeau Field, said CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf. During the 1967 NFL Championship, the temperature fell to 13 below zero.

Because of the cold, "you have to remember, the simple things of the game, taking the ball and giving it to the running back or trying to catch a perfect spiral or throw the ball is going to be a very difficult thing to do," Wolf said. The game kicks off at 5:42 p.m. CT, when the temperature is expected to be 2 degrees.

New England will be chilly as well, as the Patriots prepare to take on the San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship game.

The forecast high for Foxborough, Massachusetts, is 25 degrees. With winds gusts of up to 28 mph, it will feel even colder, Schneider said. That game kicks off at 3 p.m. ET. E-mail to a friend

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