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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Clarksville-Montgomery County officials are preparing for the winter storm expected to hit the area Wednesday afternoon.
Lt. Steve Warren with the Clarksville Police Department (CPD) said the Emergency Management Agency plans to open the Emergency Operations Center at 3 p.m. today to monitor and manage weather-related incidents.
Forecasters predict that we will receive anywhere from three to six inches of accumulation from snow, sleet, and freezing rain. One ten of an inch of ice is also possible.
Complete forecast here.
Heather Jensen, Community Relations Officer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, said road crews are on standby as officials monitor the forecast. Due to the rain expected before the snow event, no brine will be used to treat roads.
Over the course of the next 24 hours, equipment will be transitioned from pothole patching to salt spreaders and snow plows.
Hopkinsville, Ky. expects to see six to eight inches of precipitation, and the city is planning accordingly.
Mayor Carter Hendricks encourages the public to join the city in proactively preparing for yet another forecast bought of winter weather. “Our teams are again mobilized for the winter storm expected today through tomorrow,” said Mayor Hendricks. “City plows have all undergone required maintenance and salt trucks are stocked and ready to be deployed. Rest assured that we will work hard to make as much progress as we can, reaching as many areas as we can.”
Emergency Snow Removal Readiness
To help with snow removal efforts, the public is reminded to remove garbage containers and vehicles from the roadways wherever possible. This will help Public Works Department crews be more effective in removing snow from the streets.
Those snow removal crews will report at 10:00 a.m. and run a 16-hour shift through the most critical period of predicted winter weather. All trucks will be out and focused first on salting primary routes as well as clearing emergency service parking lots, nursing homes, and main thoroughfares. Work will then move to secondary routes in neighborhoods streets. Once the initial deicing process is completed, crews will work on plowing any accumulated snow.
Forecasts & Travel Advisories
Based on the current forecast, the city urges residents to use extreme caution and discretion while traveling during this period. Motorists are reminded to increase stopping distances and to allow more time to reach their destinations. Whenever travel is not necessary, especially in the event of significant icing and snowfall amounts, motorists are encouraged to stay home.