Oak Ridge Today

Pictures: Snow day in Oak Ridge

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Snow at South Illinois Avenue and Centrifuge Way

There are few cars on South Illinois Avenue near Centrifuge Way after a winter storm dumped eight to 12 inches of snow on parts of Oak Ridge and Anderson County.

More than eight inches of snow fell in parts of Oak Ridge between Wednesday night and Thursday morning as a major winter storm hit the Southeast. There were reports that up to 12 inches fell in parts of Anderson County. A National Weather Service meteorologist said it was the most snow in one storm in about 15 years.

Here are photos from across Oak Ridge on Thursday morning as some residents and workers cleared roads or shoveled sidewalks and driveways, while others enjoyed the day off by sledding at Blankenship Field.

Sledding at Blankenship Field

Adults and children enjoy sledding at Blankenship Field on Thursday.

Snowman at Blankenship Field

Kids build a snowman at Blankenship Field on Thursday morning. From left are Killian Fillmore, Andrew Bivens, Gavin Hensley, and Liam Hensley.

Sledding at Blankenship Field

Adults enjoy sledding at Blankenship Field on Thursday.

Sledding at Blankenship Field

Several dozen children and adults enjoy the snow and a day off from school and work.

Sledding at Blankenship Field

Two children work their way through heavy, wet snow at Blankenship Field.

More than eight inches of snow fell in parts of Oak Ridge between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, and there were reports of as much as 10 to 12 inches in parts of Anderson County. A meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Morristown said it's the most snow in East Tennessee in more than a decade. "It's been about 15 years since we've had a snow like this," NWS Meteorologist David Hotz said. “This is definitely one of the best ones we’ve had in quite a while.” The last snowfall of a similar magnitude that he could recall was in either 1998 or 1999. Other big snowfalls include the historic 1993 storm and a 1996 storm that dumped 15 to 17 inches. The wet, heavy snow that started falling in Oak Ridge at about 7 p.m. Wednesday—it was the second round of snow that day—continued into Thursday morning. But with temperatures rising Thursday morning and the sun coming out, much of the snow was quickly melting. Still, many roads, particularly side streets, still had slush on them, and there were a few slippery spots. Crews from the Oak Ridge Public Works Department worked all day Wednesday, through the night, and into Thursday morning. They put down two layers of brine, or highly salted water, before the snow started and switched to salt trucks and snow plows once the snow started falling. Public Works Department Gary Cinder said there were no major problems. “It’s been a calm event," Cinder said. "It was a heavy snow. It was deep enough that we could push it, and it was wet enough that it would slide easily. It wasn’t sticking because of the brine.” It might have helped that many people stayed off the roads as many offices, schools, and businesses closed early on Wednesday—if they hadn't already been closed for the day—and remained closed on Thursday. Cinder said the Public Works Department was able to keep the main streets relatively clear. At times, the snow was heavy enough, though, that the snow was recovering roads that crews had already plowed. “A lot of times, they just had to go back and forth," Cinder said. Cinder said there were a few trees down and a few isolated power outages. In Anderson County, Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Anderson County Highway Department were working to clear the snow, but roads remained hazardous. "Travel is not advised," Lucas said in a Thursday morning e-mail. "We had several reports of minor accidents with cars off in the ditch or stuck in the snow, but since the snow didn't begin to fall until the evening hours, traffic was light. There also have been a few trees down as well." Lucas said there were also some power outages overnight, but it appeared that the Clinton Utilities Board had most of those restored except for a few isolated areas. He advised residents to check with CUB for details and said power outages can be viewed at http://outage.clintonub.com. Deputies went to their "snow plan" Wednesday evening and are patrolling the county in four-wheel-drive vehicles. "We are responding only to accidents with injury or those that are a significant traffic hazard," Lucas said. Cinder said Oak Ridge has eight trucks outfitted with snow plows in the front and salt spreaders in the back. The city has two bins that, when fully loaded, can store 2,400 tons of salt. Oak Ridge has plenty of salt for the rest of the winter, he said. There about 220 miles of roads in Oak Ridge and crews focus first on main streets and state routes such as Illinois Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, then collector city streets such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Florida avenues, and then neighborhood side—if the snow lasts long enough and is heavy enough. The number of lane miles that crews have to take care of is double the road mileage because crews have to go up streets in one lane and then back down them in another. Hotz, the meteorologist, said water on East Tennessee roads could re-freeze tonight as the temperature drops into the 20s and that could cause problems, including black ice, especially on secondary streets that still have slush. Drivers should use caution when driving tonight, especially on secondary streets, although well-traveled roads and interstates should be in good shape, Hotz said. He said there could be another smaller storm system late Friday and Friday night. It could start with rain that changes over to snow, and there could be some light accumulations in East Tennessee valleys, but more snow is expected in the mountains, Hotz said. The temperature is expected to warm back up into the 50s and lower 60s next week, Hotz said.

Crews from the Oak Ridge Public Works Department worked all day Wednesday and through the night into Thursday to clear roads as more than eight inches of snow fell in parts of the city.

Snow on Pine Ridge

Snow blankets Oak Ridge in this view from Pine Ridge.

Snow on Pine Ridge and Oak Ridge

Another view of the snow that fell on Oak Ridge.

Snow-covered Cars on South Purdue Avenue

Cars on South Purdue Avenue are covered in snow.

Earlene Cole Shovels Sidewalk

Woodland resident Earlene Cole shovels her driveway and sidewalk. Cole was raised in Oliver Springs but lived in Illinois for 15 years. She recalls a really deep snow in 1962, when she was a senior in high school. “When I was growing up, we used to have big, deep snows, but then it dwindled off,” Cole said.

Comments

  2. Susie Williams Taylor says

    Awesome photos John…..thank you for sharing! The snow makes the Reservation look like a “wonderland”….

    Reply

  3. Daniel Powers says

    very nice. Sometime I need to find where Pine Ridge is as well as the area of that next picture. I ended up working from home today and didn’t get to play in the snow at all.

    Reply

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