Weakley County still thawing from winter storm

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WEAKLEY COUNTY, Tenn. — Although the blizzard missed West Tennessee for the most part, some counties are still digging out from underneath snow and ice.

Weakley County Schools were out again for a third day Monday while the county is thawing out.

“We have a lot of places that are clear and people can get up to speed, 35-45 miles per hour, and you top a hill and there may be some shade trees or something and then you have hit a spot of ice and then you are off in a ditch,” Weakley County EMA Director Jamison Peevyhouse said.

Peevyhouse said the main roads and state highways had been cleared off, but many back roads are still covered in patches of snow and ice.

“For the most part, we had about a quarter-inch of ice layer which allowed the snow to really stick to the roadways quickly, and it’s taking a while for that to thaw out,” he said.

Many of the roads have not been treated since the winter storm because of how new they are.

“All the chip and tar that we have in the county, all these roadways, we are really hesitant about blading those because the blade catches the cup and tar and tears the road up, and then you have potholes for an extended amount of time and then you have increased costs in having to come back later and fix those,” Peevyhouse said.

Peevyhouse says some snow drifts reached up to five feet in the county due to northern winds blowing across roads that travel east to west. And even though the sun is slowly melting away the mess, authorities recommend caution to drivers.

“Right now we get a little more confident and we go a little faster on the roadways because they are clear,” Peevyhouse said. “A patch of ice at 30 is a big difference than a patch of ice at 55 or 60 mph, so we are just trying to keep most of that traffic down as possible.”