JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
This past weekend, Tennessee, alongside many states across the Eastern U.S., were engulfed in severe winter weather, leaving inches of snow and ice in its wake and causing widespread power outages.
Tennesseans were alerted to prepare for the worst as Winter Storm Fern was predicted to made its way across much of the South and all the way northeast, leaving behind snow and ice in its path to millions across the nation. Many meteorologists and weather stations warned of potentially major power outages, encouraging residents to stay prepared and remain indoors during the event of the storm, as well as to avoid any travel on all roadways unless needed.
In the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 24, Fern made landfall across the state, where many communities accumulated up to five inches of snow on average and varying inches of ice across different regions. Several counties, including Marion County, were given Ice Storm Warnings prior to Fern’s impact as temperatures were set to drop below 30 degrees in the wake of incoming rainfall coming in from the southwest.
“More snow north, more sleet and freezing rain south,” posted Chase Bryant of the Chase Bryant Weather Facebook Page. “Those of you in North Georgia and Northeast Alabama are to get a break from the precipitation, and will for a while. But moisture will fill back in with time during the afternoon.”
Nearly 350,000 homeowners in Tennessee were left without power during the storm, the state receiving the most reported power outages out of any during the storm. After the storm’s end, many school districts have closed down on Monday, Jan. 26 and Tuesday, Jan. 27 due to freezing temperatures, with many reporting temperatures within the single digits during nighttime hours. Jasper alone received temperatures down to nine degrees, similarly to areas such as Chattanooga and Trenton, Ga. Wind chills also caused temperatures to drop near zero degrees during the morning hours of Jan. 27, areas such as Signal Mountain and Altamont receiving temperatures within the negatives.
18 deaths total were reported across many states impacted by the storm, Tennessee alone reported three weather related deaths as of writing.
Since making landfall, Winter Storm Fern has been described as both a “monster” and “catastrophic” weather event due to its vast size and damaging effects, cementing itself in recent memory as this season’s deadliest storm on record.
Photo by Mark Zaleski of The Tennessean