Most of state escapes worst of wintry storm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? A wintry storm predicted to bring sleet, ice and snow to Tennessee ended up delivering only rain for most of the state Thursday after temperatures were warmer than forecast.

The National Weather Service canceled winter weather advisories for all but the northern tier of counties in West and Middle Tennessee.

Those areas saw some minor accumulations of ice and sleet mixed with rain, weather advisories said.

A chance of snow remained in effect Thursday night for those areas plus the northern third of Middle and East Tennessee, the weather service said. Accumulations of an inch or less were predicted.

No serious problems from the weather were reported as of midday, although some schools closed and the Army post at Fort Campbell, Ky., near Clarksville opened for only limited operations.