Ice storm threat bypasses Humboldt
ICY BRANCHES – After a solid week of clouds, rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain hit the area, the sun finally came out on Friday making for a majestic scene of ice covered trees and branches, glimmering in the sunlight.
by DANNY WADE | Senior Editor
dwade@hchronicle.net
Weather forecasters were predicting an epic ice storm for West Tennessee with three rounds of storms rolling through last week. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each had the potential to cause havoc on roads and power lines.
But a thin break in the ice storm line kept Humboldt from getting hit very hard. It was as if one day’s weather hit north, another hit harder south and the third just fell apart before it got to Humboldt.
Tuesday morning was perhaps the hardest hit day for Humboldt. A thin layer of ice covered the trees, streets and highways. Traffic moved slowly Tuesday morning. The bridge on Hwy 45W that spans Sugar Creek on the southeast side of town iced over, causing a five-car pile-up. Luckily, there were no injuries and only minor damage to vehicles. With the bridge impassable due to the vehicles, south bound traffic came to a standstill until the vehicles could be moved.
In neighboring Three Way, there were two vehicles that slid off the road on Hwy 45E. Both vehicles went down the steep embankment and rolled over.
Humboldt Utilities General Manager Alex Smith said Humboldt dodged most of the bad weather. There were no power outages, nor were there any tree limbs falling on power lines.
Smith said he contacted some other utility companies in West Tennessee to see if they needed assistance with power outages and restoring electricity. Those that he spoke with said they did not have very much damage from fallen tree limbs or power outages.
Those driving in from Crockett County Tuesday morning had to drive a little slower than usual due to icy roads. By Wednesday afternoon, all streets were clear and traffic was moving at normal speed.
Humboldt students got an unplanned 3-day break when Humboldt City Schools superintendent, Dr. Janice Epperson, made the decision to close schools Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the safety of the students, parents and staff. These days will not have to be made up at the end of the school year since the school calendar has built-in snow days.
Humboldt may have dodged a bullet this time with the inclement weather, but historically, February is known to be one of the worst (or best, depending if you like snow and ice) month when it comes to wintery weather.
