Chattanooga and area residents awoke Monday morning to a winter wonderland. A major snowstorm passing through the area dumped amounts ranging from a few inches to a foot or more of fluffy powder in various parts of the region. The result was predictable. Everyday activities came pretty much to a halt.
Schools, most government offices, businesses, manufacturing plants and offices were closed. Most interstates and major highways were open, but they were snow-packed, making travel difficult. Those traveling them did so cautiously and at low speeds. Most secondary and neighborhood roads were simply impassable, their surfaces unmarred by a single tire track late into the morning. Most people, it seemed, took the advice of public safety officials and avoided travel. Consequently, there were few reports of vehicular accidents.
Despite the heavy snow in many areas, there were few reported power outages. Most residents were able to remain comfortably at home. Some spent time watching the snow, which continued intermittently through much of the afternoon, playing in the snow, gathered around the computer or TV to follow events, playing games or simply savoring an extra day with family or friends. The chance to do so was not unexpected.
Forecasters first warned area residents early last week that snow was a possibility by the coming weekend. They fine-tuned their forecasts as the week progressed, allowing residents to make preparations. There was, of course, the usual run on grocery and other stores that sell items deemed necessary for survival in wintry weather, but the rush, merchants say, seemed a bit less concentrated and more good-natured this time than in similar situations in years past.
Some things, though, never change. More than one grocery store manager reported that his shelves were completely stripped of milk, bread and cereal and that supplies of bananas, pre-packed cold cuts, snack foods and other items believed essential to surviving a day or two at home without a trip to the store were in short supply.
It likely will take some time for the area to return to normal. City, county and state road crews, which began sanding and pre-treating roads early in the weekend, continued to work tirelessly on Monday. Their efforts proved beneficial. By midday, many main roads were relatively easy to negotiate and the crews had started to scrape and sand or otherwise address secondary roads. There were some roads, including main thoroughfares on local and area mountains, that remained closed at midday Monday. Officials said work on them would begin as conditions permit.
Overall conditions are unlikely to improve quickly across the region. Forecasters say some additional wintry precipitation is possible through today. Additional accumulation is expected to be light, but low temperatures will make significant melting of what already is on the ground unlikely. Indeed, high temperatures today and for the next couple of days are expected to remain in the upper 20s to mid-30s, with lows dropping into the teens or even single digits in some locales. Warmer temperatures are not expected until the coming weekend. Given that, the snow that entranced so many Monday morning could turn into something far more dangerous.
Monday's snow was doubly remarkable. Though far from a record, it still was a major meteorological event. Moreover, it is the second significant snowfall here in just over two weeks. The first brought Chattanooga its first white Christmas in more than four decades. A winter with two big snowfalls in this area is unusual. One with two - and the possibility of more in coming weeks - is a rarity. Whatever the case, Monday's snowfall and the response to it will be remembered for years to come.