The winter weather has come with a vengeance this past week as ice storms and slippery rains hit part of East Tennessee. Schools were closed in many parts of the state but Knoxville and Sevier and Blount counties seemed to slide by with a little more than cold weather and nasty rains.
Driving conditions were bad in all parts of the state with back roads covered with icy patches causing several accidents.
The National Weather Service issued winter weather advisory for the Smoky Mountains area. The forecast called for rain with snow, sleet and freezing rain in areas above 2,500 feet, with the rain beginning to turn to snow.
As usual, the rains contributed to accidents along Chapman Hwy. as well as back roads where motorists were not expecting the slippery roads.
The State Department of Transportation reported patchy snow and ice on Interstate 75 between Knoxville and the Kentucky state line, and Interstates 81 and 181 around Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol. TDOT reported sleet on Interstate 40 near the North Carolina State line. Freezing bridges and overpasses were hidden hazards to some drivers. “People just don’t think the roads are going to be slippery” stated a by-stander at one accident on Chapman Hwy. “But people need to use their head and slow down when the weather gets bad.”
Eileen A. Blakely, 54, of Cedar Hill, died after her older model Cadillac slid into a bridge abutment on Highway 79 in Montgomery County in Middle Tennessee and began to spin. Blakely was wearing a seat belt. In addition, at least five deaths were reported in Kentucky due to the weather.
According to Darrell DeBusk from the Knoxville Police Department, the Knoxville Police has a severe-weather plan in place and will use it if need be.
Thousands were without power in the Carolina’s as ice knocked down power lines across the states. The Nashville area was also hard hit with ice. Parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina had to be shut down due to accumulations of snow.
The temperatures are expected to stay above freezing across East Tennessee this week with rain continuing mixed at time with snow. At night temperatures are expected to drop and cause freezing in some spots.

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