Update, 5:50 p.m.: Austin Peay State University will shift to remote operations tomorrow. Non-essential facilities on-campus will be closed.
Fort Campbell will operate on a delayed opening tomorrow, according to a news release. Many facilities and services will not open at their normal times.
Plans are to open the installation and its facilities at noon. However, a mid-morning check of weather conditions will determine whether to extend the delayed opening to the end of the business day.
Emergency and mission essential employees should report to work at normal times unless otherwise directed by their supervisor.
Fort Campbell Schools will be closed to in-classroom sessions, but will use remote learning capabilities.
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital outpatient services will open at noon.
Update, 5 p.m.: Forecasters are now expecting up to a half-inch of ice in Clarksville tonight.
Meteorologist John Cohen from the National Weather Service in Nashville said the predicted amounts have gone up today.
“Around 8 or 9 p.m., we’re going to see temperatures drop below freezing and that’s going to turn this rain to freezing rain, where the rain falls and it immediately freezes on contact with all exposed surfaces.
“We are looking for that to continue overnight into much of Thursday, and when all is said and done we’re looking at about a quarter to one-half an inch of ice.”
Update, 2:45 p.m.: The Clarksville Street Department has prepared equipment and crews to respond to the expected icy conditions tonight.
The Street Department has fitted 24 dump trucks with salt boxes, and crews are ready to coat streets with rock salt and brine as needed. Crews are prepared with equipment and trucks to remove debris if ice causes trees and limbs to break and fall onto roadways, according to a city news release.
“We have a full supply of salt on hand, around 11,000 tons, and we’re ready to go,” Scott Bibb, the department’s Operations Supervisor, said in the release.
Salt is stored at a supply depot on Franklin Street and at a Needmore Road facility in St. Bethlehem. Bibb said predicted rain prevented crews from salting streets in advance, because the rain would simply wash the salt off.
When ice and snow hit, crews focus first on city thoroughfares and hilly areas, and then spread their efforts to subdivisions and residential streets.
In Clarksville, most of the main roads – Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, Madison Street and Fort Campbell Boulevard, for example – are state highways, with ice and snow removal managed by Tennessee Department of Transportation. Regional TDOT equipment first deploys to clear Interstate 24 and then moves to the local state highways, the release said.
City bus service will continue for as long as possible, but if road conditions worsen, it will implement a “snow routes” plan. Riders should check www.rideCTS.com or the CTS Facebook page for updates.
Previously:
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville could get up to a quarter-inch of ice with the winter storm hitting us tonight.
An Ice Storm Warning is in effect from 6 p.m. tonight through 6 p.m. Thursday for Montgomery, Stewart and Houston counties, according to the National Weather Service.
Significant icing is expected from freezing rain, and residents should be prepared for hazardous travel, tree damage and power outages.
“Travel is strongly discouraged,” the alert said. “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Prepare for possible power outages.”
The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 511.
Safety tips
The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency issued these safety tips to help residents through harsh winter weather conditions:
- If you experience a power failure, contact Clarksville Department of Electricity if you live inside the city limits and Clarksville Electric Membership Corp. if you live outside the city limits.
- When using a fireplace, wood stove or kerosene heater, make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working. All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside and generators should always be placed outdoors and never inside a residence. Fire extinguishers should always full and in a location that is easy to access.
- Be sure you have a flashlight with extra batteries, a battery-powered radio and a fully charged cell phone.
- For cars, be sure to check the tire pressure, keep a full tank of gas, keep booster cables and a first aid kit in the vehicle and check your wiper blades. Also, be sure to increase your distance behind other vehicles by eight to 10 additional seconds because of the possibility of slippery road and bridge conditions.
“We have seen many sad and unfortunate events happen to people in our community through the years – often because basic preventive and safety measures were not implemented. Please help those of us who work in health and public safety to keep you safe by following the basic steps that are needed to prevent fires as well as other accidents during this time,” said Director of Emergency Management Services Ed Baggett.
School will go on
While physical school buildings could still close, the Clarksville-Montgomery School System will not follow the normal “snow day” closure plan of years past.
“In the event of inclement weather this school year, traditional students will transition to remote learning,” CMCSS said in an email to families Wednesday morning. “With 1:1 laptops, the district is prepared throughout the academic year to provide remote instruction if there are building closures due to COVID-19, inclement weather or other emergencies.”
In an interview with Clarksville Now in July, Schools Director Millard House said snow days are a thing of the past, now that students can do remote learning in the event that school buildings are closed.
With that understanding, for the 2020-21 school year, CMCSS used its inclement weather stockpile days at the beginning of the year to allow for a delayed start.
This article will be updated.
Lee Erwin contributed to this report.