Dozens of wrecks in northwest Tenn. due to icy conditions

[gtxvideo vid=”nNExLpWs” playlist=”” pid=”wMQlYtLM” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/nNExLpWs-120.jpg?cachebust=1455066087597″ vtitle=”Winter Weather PKG.flv”]

WEAKLEY COUNTY, Tenn. — With snow still on the ground in parts of West Tennessee, many fear Tuesday’s slick streets could get even more dangerous Tuesday night with black ice.

Officials in Weakley, Obion and Henry counties said the roads caused several crashes in the counties and said there were even more that were most likely not reported.

“We had about a dozen accidents that we responded to. Three of those were transports, two were rollovers and then we probably had another 15 or 20 that we didn’t respond to that they had someone pull them out,” Weakley County EMA Director Jamison Peevyhouse said.

Even Obion County EMA Director Danny Jowers said he had a tough time getting to work on Tuesday.

“I was quite surprised this morning when I hit a little patch and I didn’t have my four-wheel drive engaged, and it sent me not completely off the road but it woke me up to know I needed to slow down a little bit,” Jowers said.

Many northwest Tennessee residents woke up to some icy conditions.

“It was fine until they got to the major roadways. When traffic started to run across the snow it turned into ice, which became very hard to see because the ice would freeze and then snow would fall on top of it and it would look like it was just fine,” Peevyhouse said.

There is some snow on the ground in northwest Tennessee, but officials say that’s not the biggest threat to drivers. They say when the snow melts and refreezes it becomes even more dangerous.

“My only concern tonight [Tuesday night] is that it may re-freeze if it falls down to the teens. Then the salt becomes ineffective and the roads will refreeze,” Peevyhouse said. “The side roads have no salt on them. They have not been bladed or anything.”

Officials are still worried about the roads for Wednesday morning’s commute and are cautioning drivers to be careful.