Schools closed today in wake of area’s first significant storm

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Yesterday’s storm provided enough snow for Diane Flatt, left, and Kara Carmack to work on what must be one of the first Warren County snowmen of 2003. All he needs is a mouth, a couple of eyes, a hat and a carrot nose. (Charles W. Johnson photo)

The first significant snow this winter created problems for motorists, as slick roads left many drivers stuck or in ditches around the county Thursday.

The snow, which began falling early Thursday morning, forced the closure of schools at 11:30 a.m. The closure, however, was not quick enough for some bus drivers who found themselves stuck trying to get students home.

“It came a little faster than we anticipated,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale, noting there were a few buses which became stuck on secondary roads. There were no injuries.

Hale said most buses completed their rounds before 3 p.m. yesterday as crews hustled to help free the stuck buses. The problems were not limited to Warren County as Davidson County reported as many as 60 buses stranded in Nashville with many students not expected to be home until as late as 7 p.m.

Along with schools, most extracurricular activities and sporting events were canceled. Schools will remain closed in Warren County today given the forecast which calls for 2 to 4 inches of snow from a slow-moving cold front. Extremely cold temperatures falling into the teens last night were expected to leave snow frozen on the ground.

As much as 4 to 6 inches of accumulation is expected in the Upper Cumberland Plateau. Forecasters said the early snow totals were more than expected from the moderate winter storm, prompting them to issue travel advisories for Warren County and most of Middle Tennessee.

It did not take long for road conditions to deteriorate Thursday morning. Officers stayed busy working wrecks around the county. Most of the wrecks were reported on secondary roads including, but not limited to, Old Smithville Road, Yager Road and Old Shelbyville Road. About 15 accident calls were fielded within a three-hour period Thursday afternoon. Most involved cars simply sliding off the road. None of the accidents resulted in serious injury.