Temperatures rising after snowstorm strikes Chattanooga

Almost 8 inches of snow fell in some areas around Chattanooga

Al Allison, owner of The Meeting House coffee shop in Red Bank, Tenn., scrapes snow off of his vehicle, after an overnight winter storm dumped over half of a foot on the area. Allison and his family slept in their business overnight expecting that the snow would be as significant as was predicted.
Al Allison, owner of The Meeting House coffee shop in Red Bank, Tenn., scrapes snow off of his vehicle, after an overnight winter storm dumped over half of a foot on the area. Allison and his family slept in their business overnight expecting that the snow would be as significant as was predicted.

Thermometers are starting to rise in Chattanooga after a storm system blanketed the region with as much as 8 inches of snow.

Temperatures are expected to hit 43 degrees today, which will likely turn the big snow into a big melt.

As the snow fades, the region could experience flooding, said Dean Flener, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

"Whenever you get that amount of snow melt, flooding can be a concern because you're so mountainous and hilly over there," he said on the phone from Nashville. "With all that running down, you could see some flash flooding. That's something to be aware of."

But so far, the snow hasn't caused any significant issues in the Chattanooga region, Flener said. TEMA is focusing its efforts on the Cumberland Plateau, which was hardest hit by the weather this week and last. There, 19,000 are without power and five shelters have been opened to assist residents.

Downtown Chattanooga is all but abandoned this morning, with many businesses closed and most motorists heeding officials' requests to stay off the roads.

In part because of the cooperation from drivers, issues overnight were fairly minor, officials say.

In North Georgia, about 400 people lost power around 6:30 a.m. in Catoosa, Gordon and Murray counties, according to the North Georgia EMC. But by 8:30 a.m., that number had been dropped to 151 homes without power, mostly in Murray County.

Across the region, officials report that most primary roads are cleared of snow but secondary roads are still in sloshy shape.

"The precipitation was a very fluffy snow so as a result it was easy to clean up of the roadways," said Hamilton County EMS spokeswoman Amy Maxwell.

The main problem on the roads Wednesday night was the large number of abandoned vehicles, she added. The cars were often left on the road in the path of snow plows, which had trouble getting through.

At least 16 cars were abandoned along Signal Mountain Road alone.

"Now that the sun is coming out and people are getting out and the streets are getting cleared I think a lot of those cars will be able to be moved," Maxwell said.

By noon today, TDOT reported that I-24 in Hamilton County is clear and wet, while I-75 still has patches of ice and snow in Hamilton, Bradley and McMinn counties.

Here's a look at the state of the region:

BLEDSOE COUNTY

Bledsoe County Sheriff Jimmy Morris reports that main arteries U.S. Highway 127 and state Highway 30 are very slushy but passable if drivers are very careful. Secondary roads are in very bad condition, Morris said.

Valley areas in Bledsoe got about five inches or so and mountain tops got considerably more, the sheriff said.

He said there were no reports of weather-related health problems or power outages.

"Snow's a lot better than ice," Morris said, referring to the icy conditions that hit Bledsoe last week. He said no one should travel unless they must.

photo Al Allison, owner of The Meeting House coffee shop in Red Bank, Tenn., scrapes snow off of his vehicle, after an overnight winter storm dumped over half of a foot on the area. Allison and his family slept in their business overnight expecting that the snow would be as significant as was predicted.

BRADLEY COUNTY

Bradley County Emergency Management Agency spokesman Stan Clark said winter weather led to a couple of snowy accidents overnight after precipitation began to fall Wednesday night.

"Early on, the snow fell hard and fast. Roadways were covered quickly and vehicles began to slide," Clark said in a release on weather problems.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday an accident was reported at the intersection of Eureka Road and Lower River Road where a car slid into a ditch. The driver was unresponsive when ambulance crews got to the scene and the driver was taken to Sky Ridge Medical Center in Cleveland, then to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga for treatment.

Another accident was reported on Dalton Pike around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night where another car ended up in a ditch. Injuries were not known this morning, Clark said.

Bradley County's secondary roads are still in poor condition, he said.

GRUNDY COUNTY

Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum says the mountain top communities on the southern edge of the Cumberland Plateau got about five inches of snow overnight.

There were no serious accidents or power outages, Shrum said.
The sheriff said major roads are already clear and others are clearing.

The main concern now is refreezing overnight because most roads have wet spots that will easily turn to ice when temperatures drop below 32 degrees.

MARION COUNTY

Marion County Emergency Management Agency Director Steve Lamb said the county's major roads, including Interstate 24, have been plowed and are clearing but secondary routes are "terrible."

"It's been real good so far because everybody, for the most part, stayed home and behaved themselves," Lamb said Thursday morning.

Officials report icy conditions on most back roads and even worse conditions on area mountains. Lamb said U.S. Highway 41, which crosses the Sequatchie Valley from the Hamilton County line to mountainous Grundy County and beyond into Middle Tennessee, is reported to be in bad shape.

Lamb said he had heard of no weather-related injuries or illness overnight.

He advised people headed out to play in the snow to be careful and to wear safety equipment as appropriate to their activities.

MONTEAGLE

Monteagle Police Chief Virgil McNeese said Southeast Tennessee's famous mountain top got only five inches of snow overnight, but back roads remained treacherous on Thursday morning.

There were accidents in the town that usually only sees a traffic accident or two a month. McNeese said everyone should stay home if they can.

And like most areas of the Sequatchie Valley, McNeese said there were no power outages reported so far.

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY

Sequatchie County Sheriff Ronnie Hitchcock said one lane had been cleared in each direction of state Highway 111 and plowing had been done on U.S. Highway 127 near Dunlap.

Some travelers ended up getting stranded in the Sequatchie Valley overnight, filling up both motels in Dunlap and forcing a few other motorists to take a cot at the Rescue Squad building on Rankin Avenue.

The sheriff said valley areas got around seven inches of snow and mountaintop areas got between 10 and 12 inches.

Update at 1:37 p.m.: Dunlap officials report that all main highways are in fair to good condition and secondary roads now are mostly slush.

Dunlap Municipal Court for this afternoon has been rescheduled for March 26 at 1:30 p.m.

CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GA.

Jason Winters, the county's sole commissioner, asked residents to stay off the roads last night unless they have 4-wheel drive.

The Roper plant canceled its first shift, which normally begins at 7 a.m. The Mount Vernon Mills plant pushed its first shift back from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

There were several car crashes last night, mostly from cars sliding off the road. No serious injuries.

WALKER COUNTY, GA.

A child was transferred to Erlanger Medical Center after with a "serious head injury" after his 4-wheeler collided with a car on Childress Hollow Road in Chickamauga around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Walker County 911.

DADE COUNTY, GA.

Ted Rumley, the county executive, worked through the night alongside the road crew, the fire department and the sheriff's office. He drove one of the county's nine snow plows, beginning around 4:30 p.m. They kept the plows running for the whole night.

"Once you start, you can't stop. 30 minutes, 45 minutes later, it's still snowing. You got to keep going with it," he said.

In all, about 50 city and county employees worked the roads last night.

There were no major traffic accidents.

CATOOSA COUNTY, GA.

Mayor Joe Barger said this morning that the city is in good shape after recieving between 5 and 7 inches of snow.

No major incidents were reported.

MENTONE, ALA.

In Mentone, Ala., Assistant Police Chief Kirby Johnston said seven to 10 inches fell around the ski-resort town atop Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County.

"I measured in my front year and I had seven-and-a-half inches. Another neighbor of mine measured about 10 inches," Johnston said.

Alabama Highway 117 has been plowed and is passable but secondary roads in slick and icy.

Johnston said he'd had enough of winter and was ready for spring.

Officials say Alabama Highway 35 up Sand Mountain toward the town of Section is now open but they advise motorists to use extreme caution.

POLK COUNTY

A Polk County Sheriff's Department dispatcher said this afternoon that snowfall accumulations across the county overnight stood around five inches in most areas.

The dispatcher said there were two traffic accidents overnight and "a bunch of" ambulance calls that included one for a broken ankle and another for a woman who slipped and hit her head.

The dispatcher said state roads are passable and secondary roads are still slick but improving.

Stay with the Times Free Press for updates on this developing story.

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