Winter delivers
Snow covers roads, closes schools
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A few ducks brave the cold to hang out in a snowy field last weekend at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris. - Museum of Appalachia
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A black lab makes a stark contrast with the white snow in the Norris Commons area across from the Lions Club Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. - Museum of Appalachia
After teasing us with the threat of a major winter storm the previous weekend, Mother Nature came back to town this past weekend for real, bringing as much as five inches of fresh, white snow to some areas of Anderson County.
Across Clinton, snow began falling mid-afternoon on Friday, and by Saturday morning, there were two or three inches of the white stuff on the ground. In some areas, including parts of Norris, Rocky Top and Andersonville, some people reported that it had reached the five-inch mark.
Road crews seemed slower to respond than they did the previous Saturday, when most of Clinton, Norris, Andersonville and the surrounding county areas got not much more than a dusting of snow, and little to no ice – sparing us from the terrible onslaught of ice that Middle Tennessee and Nashville suffered.
This past weekend, area residents woke up to bitter cold Saturday, Sunday and Monday – with the Monday morning temperature hovering at 4 degrees just after daybreak.
But the sun broke out Sunday and helped melt away much of the snow, even though the temperatures remained just below freezing.
While the snow here stayed mostly tame with no ice build-up underneath, people were complaining across social media pages that roads weren’t being scraped in a timely manner.
That was especially true for Norris, which normally has a good reputation for quick and thorough clearing of its roads and streets after a winter storm.
Schools were closed in Anderson County as a precaution on Friday, as the forecast had called for the snow to begin a few hours before the end of the school day. It didn’t happen, though, so school kids ended up with the day off Friday, then again on Monday and Tuesday.
Anderson County Schools were joined by Clinton and Oak Ridge for closings on Monday and Tuesday.
Many businesses also closed for Friday and the weekend, and Anderson County government offices and trash convenience centers were shut down on Monday.
Most businesses seemed to be operating normally on Monday, with roads clear or passable throughout most of the area.
On Facebook Sunday afternoon, County Mayor Terry Frank posted:
“In consultation with various officials and agencies, the Anderson County Courthouse will be closed tomorrow, Feb. 2.
“This includes the Health Department, Senior Center, Dental Clinic, and Animal Shelter. Emergency operations will continue as normal. Court dockets for General Sessions, Circuit, Chancery and Juvenile Courts have already been canceled.”
On Monday, despite the 4-degree start, temperatures rose above freezing by late morning, and were in the mid-30s by late afternoon.
And, yes, Punxsutawney Phil reportedly did see his shadow in Pennsylvania on Monday morning, Groundhog Day, signaling perhaps six more weeks of winter weather.
