911 calls to the communications center at the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department increased significantly during last week’s snow.
The Sheriff’s Department said the communications center received 429 telephone calls from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 p.m. Friday, and 77 of those were 911 calls. That compares to 390 calls, with 51 of those on 911 lines, during the same time period a week earlier. [Read more…]
Anderson County Schools will be closed Friday because of the weather. The Central Office will follow the inclement weather procedure.
Oak Ridge Schools will open two hours late to allow any ice that forms overnight to melt. The schools will not serve breakfast Friday morning, so parents should make sure their children eat before coming to school.
A 10 a.m. starting time has been authorized for employees of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Environmental Management Site Office, Oak Ridge Nuclear Energy Site Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and Oak Ridge DOE Inspector General, with unscheduled leave (previously referred to as liberal leave) authorized if needed.
Normal hours are in effect for Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office employees, with unscheduled leave (previously referred to as liberal leave) authorized if needed.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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.
Adults and children enjoy sledding at Blankenship Field on Thursday.
Kids build a snowman at Blankenship Field on Thursday morning after more than eight inches of snow fell in Oak Ridge. From left are Killian Fillmore, Andrew Bivens, Gavin Hensley, and Liam Hensley.
Note: This story was last updated at 5:02 p.m. with more photos.
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, 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 winter storm in 1996 that dumped 15 to 17 inches.
Crews from the Oak Ridge Public Works Department worked all day Wednesday and through the night into Thursday to clear roads, including South Illinois Avenue, as more than eight inches of snow fell in parts of the city.
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. [Read more…]
Children build a snowman at Blankenship Field on Thursday morning. From left are Killian Fillmore, Andrew Bivens, Gavin Hensley, and Liam Hensley.
Note: This story was last updated at 10:29 a.m.
Oak Ridge Schools are closed Thursday, and so is the Y-12 National Security Complex.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office is also closed as are the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Site Office, Nuclear Energy Site Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and Oak Ridge DOE Inspector General offices. Decisions about reporting instructions for Friday will be made later Thursday or early Friday morning. Employees should check the weather hotline and Facebook later for updates for Friday.
Schools in Clinton and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, and Roane counties are also closed. So are Anderson County government offices and courts. And so are many businesses.
City of Oak Ridge offices will open at noon Thursday.
Waste Connections, Inc. will not be picking up refuse or recyclables on Thursday because of the weather conditions. Thursday’s routes will be picked up on Friday, Feb. 14, and Fridays on Saturday, Feb. 15. Please have all refuse and recyclables out by 7 a.m. For additional information you can contact Waste Connections Inc. at (865) 482-3656 or visit www.WasteConnectionsTn.com. [Read more…]
Heavy snow falls in Oak Ridge at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, and weather officials are warning of extremely dangerous driving conditions across the region.
The National Weather Service in Morristown warned of extremely dangerous driving conditions across the region on Wednesday night as a second round of snow started in Oak Ridge.
The 7 p.m. evening snow followed an earlier round of snow at about 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The Weather Service said the snow and subfreezing temperatures in the region will create slick roads and travel concerns across the region.
“Roads will become extremely treacherous overnight as snow and ice continues to accumulate and build up,” forecasters said. [Read more…]
Bill Bass
Roane State Community College’s Death by Chocolate fundraiser featuring Body Farm founder Bill Bass has been postponed to Feb. 20 due to weather.
The event, which had been scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13, will now be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, in the O’Brien Theatre at the Roane County campus in Harriman. The chocolate tasting, featuring dozens of samples from area businesses, begins at 6 p.m. The lecture by Dr. Bass will start at 7 p.m. Proceeds from ticket sales will be used for student scholarships.
Bass founded the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research Facility, an outdoor laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition. The facility, often referred to as the “Body Farm,” was featured prominently in the novel “The Body Farm” by best-selling author Patricia Cornwell. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge Schools will dismiss early today (Wednesday) because of the incoming winter storm, a press release said.
Here are the dismissal times:
The Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, pictured above, closed early Wednesday because of the winter storm hitting the Southeast.
Note: This story was last updated at 8:25 p.m. Feb. 12.
Schools in Clinton and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, and Roane counties will be closed Wednesday due to weather.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program at 320 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge will also be closed Wednesday due to the threat of a major winter storm.
Oak Ridge Schools dismissed early on Wednesday. The Anderson County Courthouse closed at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Anderson County Schools and its Central Office will be closed Thursday. [Read more…]
Images courtesy of National Weather Service in Morristown.
A major winter storm hitting the Southeast on Tuesday and Wednesday could dump three to five inches in the Tennessee Valley and southern Cumberland Plateau, and six to nine inches in the mountains, the National Weather Service in Morristown said.
Accumulations in Anderson and Roane counties could range between one and five inches from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning. Knoxville and Knox County are expected to get between three and five inches.
The forecast near Oak Ridge calls for a 20 percent chance of snow as early as Tuesday night, with a low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wednesday’s forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of snow all day, with a high of 36 and a low of 27. The chance of snow falls to 20 percent on Thursday, with a high of 43.
A local winter storm watch is in effect from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday. [Read more…]
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said it has not had many weather-related issues during the past few days as snow fell in East Tennessee and temperatures dipped again into the teens—and even lower.
“A few reports of traffic-related incidents such as cars in the ditch, but only one accident that had minor injuries,” Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said in an e-mail to reporters.
Lucas said most primary roads and state routes are clear, but many rural roads are still icy and snow-covered. [Read more…]
Here are more weather-related closings on Wednesday and Thursday:
Due to unsafe road conditions, Waste Connections will not be running trash or recycling routes on Wednesday, Jan. 29. They will collect Wednesday routes on Thursday, Thursdays on Friday, and Fridays on Saturday. The convenience center will also be closed today (Wednesday), Oak Ridge officials said.
“Patience is appreciated,” they said.
Oak Ridge Schools will operate on a two-hour delay Thursday.
Anderson County Schools will be closed again Thursday due to the weather. All central office staff will follow the inclement weather procedure. [Read more…]
