Thursday, February 28, 2008

White Out


We awoke both yesterday and today to another dusting of snow on the ground. Very little snow stayed on the ground, as usual. The flakes would fall. The sun came out. The snow would melt. The snow would fall. The sun came out. The snow would melt. The cycle repeated itself at least seven or eight times yesterday. I took today's photo in the early afternoon during one of the snow storms. You can tell how big the snowflakes were just from how they look in the photo. It was quite amazing.

Early in the day, a thin layer of black ice covered roads in a lot of the Middle Tennessee area, so most area school districts closed. I know that makes a lot of you who live in the snow belt laugh since schools stay open even if the snow is a foot deep, but icy roads are a different matter. While we do have salt trucks and some snow removal equipment, they do not always get to the rural routes. Icy roads, which are hazardous for cars, can be lethal for school buses and trucks.

On I-24 north of Nashville, there were several accidents that caused a backup of over 40 miles. One of my husband's morning anchors lives in Hopkinsville, KY (a little over an hour north of Nashville) and was stuck in that traffic jam for over four hours. She mentioned that it took almost three hours for her to go a mere five miles.

Most of the ice really did affect only really rural (hilly) areas and the counties north of Nashville. I had an 8 AM doctor's appointment at one of the Vanderbilt Medical Clinics and encountered only dry roads all the way from home to the university area. Apparently I was the only one of about 20 patients scheduled for the group's morning appointments to brave the weather, though.

We did have snow on the ground this morning, about the same amount as is visible in the photo above. It's almost all gone now.

12 comments:

quintarantino said...

Very nice view!

Acordar com uma vista assim é sempre agradável.

Felicia said...

I love it (probably because I don't have to sit in traffic for hours because of it too)! Have you heard about the latest enviro and road friendly concoction of beet juice and salt to clear the roads? It sounds expensive but interesting.

Isadora said...

Hi Chris - do you find that this rapid change affects your mood? WVa was like that and it simply made me crazy. You could not settle into a mood because no sooner did you then the weather would change again.

Janet said...

Wow! For a second, I thought I was on the wrong blog! Don't think we've ever experienced an on and off snow like that though, and we rarely have freezing rain. Glad you stayed safe.

isa said...

You are reckless to brave those elements! I still remember my first - and only! - crash caused by the treacherous black ice where I totaled my stepdad's Cadillac.
Not a pleasant memory...

RaleighKat said...

Nice photo. Pointillist in feeling.

Jim Klenke said...

I dont mind those types of snow storms, but I sure wouldnt have wanted to be in a four hour backup. I love the picture.

Clueless in Boston said...

I don't mind driving in snow, but ice is something else entirely. Yeah, we can smirk a little about closing schools for a little snow, but it's all relative. I'm sure people in New Hampshire, Maine, and Quebec all scoff at Massachusetts calling off school for a mere 6-8 inches of snow.

Hope you medical visit went well.

Mo said...

Nice shot Chris.

Gerald (SK14) said...

I guess we expect this sort of thing in February - my horse shot was earlier this month when we had one exceptionally mild sunny day but it is back to the miserable weather again now - not quite as bad as yours at the moment.

Carlos Lorenzo said...

Gruesome weather!. That means you'll have a wonderful spring coming soon. This a curious picture. Snow seems so thin that almost looks like fog.

sallykent said...

I am so glad to hear you blog about the traffic conditions in "snowy" weather!

I completely hunker down and refuse to leave my house at the first sign of a tiny snowflake. It's something I inherited from my mom I guess. So now at least I know that it's all for a good reason!

:)