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Mid-State Grinds to a Halt Following Ice and Snow

TDOT

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Officials in Tennessee are warning motorists to stay off icy roads, and the governor has declared a state of emergency due to the deteriorating conditions.

Dean Fleanor is with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

“It’s very hazardous and treacherous on Tennessee roadways and travelers need to stay home if they can, delay their travel if they can, because it is a very treacherous situation out there.”

Officer Amy Norville with the Murfreesboro Police Department says road conditions continue to deteriorate and 911 operators are getting quite a workout.

“They’re continuously dispatching more and more officers to vehicle crashes. Most of them have been, I believe, ice related. The conditions on the streets have deteriorated from about 7 o’clock this morning till now. Of course all of our bridges and overpasses iced very quickly. Department of Transportation and the Street Department are both working to deal with those conditions, but with the precipitation continuing it’s an uphill battle for them.”

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s office also advises residents to stay home and off the streets. In addition to icy roads, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lisa Marchesoni says a number of stream crossing are flooded due to last night’s heavy rains.

“We have had flooding on the slab at Powel’s Chapel, the Stones River slab, Goochie Ford slab. These are all places that traditionally flood. Elam Road slab is another place where we traditionally have flooding. Flooding also at Epps Mill near Miller Road and Vaught Road.”

Most of the school systems here in Middle Tennessee are closed for the day, including Middle Tennessee State.

Middle Tennessee Electric is reporting that about 700 of its customers, all in Williamson County, are without power. About 9000 Davidson County homes lost electricity overnight.  NES crews whittled that down to less than 4,000 without electricity by daylight this morning, but the company now shows that number back up to 4700 homes without power.

Meteorologist Brittany Coleman with the Nashville Office of the National Weather Service says the snow should taper off by early afternoon.

“Along the Kentucky – Tennessee line we could see one to two inches; probably closer to one inch and that’s already on top of the ice and sleet that they accumulated this morning. Their driving conditions will continue to be hazardous through at least early afternoon. Accumulations up to an inch are possible for the Murfreesboro area.”

Visit the Weather Service website for a complete mid-state forecast.