Tennessee Snow: ‘It Is Beautiful, But…’

Updated at 5:00 p.m.

Afternoon sun melted enough snow that Tennessee government offices decided to reopen Friday. But many school districts will remain closed a second day, citing poor road conditions.

Three fatalities are now blamed on snow and ice from the last 24 hours. A 61-year-old man died in Campbell County. A 35-year-old woman died in a wreck in Wilson County. And another accident claimed the life of a 46-year-old man in Dickson County, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Snow snarled traffic on Interstates in Kentucky where parts of the highway were shut down at times because of foot-deep snow. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is monitoring traffic on both I-24 and I-65 if the needed arises to help stranded motorists.

In Nashville, 80 non-injury accidents were reported before the afternoon rush hour. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said eight wrecks involved injuries, but he praised how few accidents there have been compared to the ice event in February.

The snow turned Capitol Hill into a ski slope. Sam Halleen joined several fellow snowboarders for what they said were perfect conditions to ride one of Nashville’s best hills.

“It just seems like a lot better weather today than (when) it snowed a couple of weeks ago, when it was pretty much icy,” Halleen said. “All of this is pretty much fresh powder. So you had to take the opportunity, you know. You don’t always get it out here.”

Others improvised sleds, using objects like flattened cardboard boxes, a child’s plastic swimming pool and an empty plastic tub.

In the interest of journalism, WPLN reporter Chas Sisk took in a couple of sledding runs himself on an inflated rubber tube.

Elsewhere downtown, the Nashville Public Library was able to open its main branch on Church Street. The city relies on the library to provide a warm place for people to go during the day, when many shelters are closed.

The branch was largely empty apart for the third-floor computer room, where more than 50 people filled out forms, checked email, visited social media sites and watched videos. Omar Truss, who says he usually camps out most nights near Fort Negley, came in to charge his laptop and check up on Nashville’s other rough sleepers.

“Basically we just sit here and try to find some friends and hopefully let it be all right.”

Director Kent Oliver said the library is one of the few places where people who don’t own computers can go to tell loved ones that they’re weathering the storm.

“You know one of the things that kind of goes unnoticed in our society sometimes is that everybody does not have their own computer. … And so a lot of people depend upon the library — very much so — in order to have their connectivity to the outside world.”

WPLN’s Chas Sisk contributed to this report.

Reported earlier:

The winter weather is wearing on Tennesseans after several inches of snow brought much of daily life to a standstill Wednesday.

Parts of Montgomery County reported 18 inches of snow on the ground Wednesday morning. Kentucky State Police have closed I-24 near Clarksville because there is so much snow on the road. As of 10 a.m., Tennessee Emergency Management Agency has confirmed one weather-related fatality: A 46-year-old man from Dickson County died in an auto accident.

Alan Light of south Nashville worries about the weather’s economic impact.

“It is beautiful. I love it for the kids,” Light says. “But as far as business goes, it’s a deal-buster.”

Light tried to beat the snow with an early morning outing. But he had to abandon his car at a Starbucks because it wouldn’t get up a steep hill off of Old Hickory Boulevard. Then, after walking home, he had to return to his car because he left his cell phone in the passenger seat.

School systems around the state have run out of snow days but had to cancel classes anyway. Some, including Wilson County Schools, have already called off the rest of the week. Temperatures won’t get above freezing Thursday and the roads are expected to remain snow-covered.

Major corporate employers asked staffers to work from home if they could. State offices also closed.

“There’s not a lot that I can do from home with my job,” says Tiffany Mason, who works for a Morgan Stanley office. “I’ll just take the day and enjoy it for what it is.”

Businesses in Nashville have experienced several interruptions because of weather in the last few weeks.

“I’m ready for it to be over,” says Leslie McCullough, who works at Dollar General’s headquarters in Goodlettsville. “You get cabin fever really fast when you can’t drive.”

McCullough’s fiance, Armond Agassi, jokes that “cabin fever” is just a nice way of saying she’s seen too much of him.

“She gets sick of spending all day inside with me,” he says.