West Tennessee communities prepare for winter storm’s impact

February 18, 2025

Ryan Brooks,

JACKSON, Tenn. — Winter weather will impact much of the region and communities are preparing before the cold kicks in.

Communities all over the region are making snow preparations amid winter weather advisories. Local agencies cooperate with TDOT to keep state and local roads clear

“We try to keep a path clear from Highway 45 back to some of our industries. The state, of course, maintains the state highways through our town,” said Roger Smith, public works director for the city of Milan.

Smith also tells the essentials to have when you you find yourself in an unfortunate situation.

“Make sure you have plenty of warm clothes in case you get into a situation that you do get stuck or off the road. A flashlight, of course, is always essential and your cellphone. Make sure somebody knows that you’re traveling and to know to look for you, and to make sure you’re getting to work,” said Smith.

Many plow drivers will have an early start to keep large amounts of precipitation from accumulating.

“TDOT has already got all the state routes in and around Union City and throughout Obion County. We are currently in the process of pre-salting. We’re trying to get our key areas in town like around the hospitals, police department, and the city hall,” said Jason Moss, public works director for Union City.

According to our Storm Team 7, temps will hit the single digits by Wednesday night and the wind chill will be approaching 0. If you have to be out, give yourself plenty of time, keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, and be easy on the brakes.

“We’re getting our snow plows on to get ready for that. We don’t put out a lot of salt because a lot of our county roads are tar and chip, and it breaks them down but we’ve got some little salt rigs and we’re getting them prepared and trying to hit the bridges and places like that,” said Ricky Scott, road supervisor for Carroll County.

Remember to leave water dripping from faucets, leave cabinets open for warmth and make sure outside windows and doors are properly sealed.