Everyone laughs at what southerners call a “snowstorm.” A half-inch of the white stuff, and Atlanta panics.

No one's laughing this time.

A freakish combination of weather elements surpasses even the experts' predictions. Suddenly much of the upper South is covered in several feet of snow. There's never been a storm like this in the region before. Never in recorded history.

For Atlanta executive J.C. Riggins, the storm is only one of the killers he'll have to face.

In a desperate bid to save his job, his company, and quite possibly his young son's life, Riggins must transport a defense contract to North Carolina. The deadline can't be missed. With airports and roads closed, Riggins sets out in an Suv through a stunned countryside where no one can help him if trouble happens. Which it does, the moment a dangerous criminal joins him for the ride.

H.W. "Buzz" Bernard is an Air Force veteran and retired Weather Channel meteorologist. His 2010 hurricane thriller, Eyewall, became a number one bestseller in ebook. Visit him at buzzbernard.com.