The Columbia area was spared the brunt of the snow and ice that hit the Upstate and north Georgia on Saturday, but hazardous road conditions kept most people shuttered in their homes for the day.

Though a mix of rain and freezing rain was expected overnight into this morning, conditions are expected to improve by the afternoon, forecasters said.

Midlands roads were slippery early Saturday, contributing to dozens of accidents, including three overturned SUVs within a couple of miles of each other on Interstate 77, officials said.

In all, there were 76 wrecks in and around the Midlands between 6 a.m. and noon, said Lance Cpl. Dwight Green of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

The patrol reported 120 wrecks by late Saturday night, but there were no weather-related traffic fatalities.

The winter blast that blanketed much of the Southeast brought sleet, mixed with freezing rain, around 5 a.m. Saturday at the Columbia airport. Steady but light freezing rain continued from 7 a.m. through the rest of the morning, said Al Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia.

Some light accumulation — less than a quarter-inch — was reported on bridges and overpasses.

Four city trucks spread sand and salt over Columbia roadways, primarily bridges, beginning at 7 a.m., said Melissa Smith Gentry, public works director.

Many businesses closed, and events were canceled Saturday and into early today, as Midlands residents heeded warnings to stay home.

Delta canceled flights into and out of Columbia Metropolitan Airport, said airport spokeswoman Kerry Stockman. The cancellations were the result of problems in Atlanta, Cincinnati and Orlando, she said, and not weather concerns in Columbia.

Other airlines had a few cancellations, but Independence Air flew its regular schedule.

Elsewhere:

• The Upstate saw snow and sleet early, but problems quickly shifted to freezing rain. As it increased Saturday night, power outages cropped up, including 625 customers without electricity in Anderson County, 380 in Oconee County, 370 in Greenwood County and an undetermined number in McCormick County, authorities reported. Accidents along I-85 in Greenville and Anderson counties snarled traffic during the day.

• In metro Atlanta, a mix of ice, sleet and freezing rain paralyzed much of the area. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, officials reported only one of the four runways open for much of the day. Sections of Interstates 85, 20, 75 and 285 and other highways were shut down early Saturday because of wrecks, police said, and at least two weather-related traffic deaths were reported. Nearly 200,000 were without power late Saturday, according to utility officials, and that number was expected to grow overnight as ice continued to accumulate.

• In North Carolina, up to 6 inches of snow was possible in the northwestern mountains, and other parts of the state saw sleet and freezing rain throughout the day. There were numerous weather-related wrecks throughout the day. The intersection of Interstates 485 and 77 in Charlotte was closed Saturday night after an eight-vehicle accident. Another multiple-vehicle accident was reported on I-77 at the South Carolina line, leaving a tractor-trailer disabled across all the southbound lanes.

Staff writer John O’Connor and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Drake at (803) 771-8692 or jdrake@thestate.com.