Winter weather in Tennessee has caused 14 deaths, and more snow and cold temperatures are expected in parts of the northeast on Friday.
Tennessee experienced severe cold and over nine inches of snow in Nashville, leading to the closure of state government offices on Wednesday and delayed openings on Thursday. The Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated three fatal car crashes due to the weather, along with 100 crashes causing injuries and 200 with no injuries.
State officials confirmed 14 deaths in various counties: Shelby (5), Hickman (1), Madison (1), Washington (2), Carroll (1), Knox (1), Van Buren (1), Lauderdale (1), and Henry (1).
As Tennessee deals with harsh winter conditions, the National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories extending as far south as Alabama and as far north as New Jersey and Michigan, east of the Mississippi River.
Washington, D.C., which recently had its first significant snowfall in two years, is preparing for more snow on Friday. Mayor Muriel Bowser extended the cold weather emergency for the District of Columbia through Sunday to allow snow teams to prepare for the upcoming inclement weather.
According to a news release from the mayor’s office, “Beginning at midnight, the Snow Team will deploy to apply salt on all snow emergency routes, including the National Highway System. Residential and side streets are already pretreated due to the amount of brine and salt spread during the snow event earlier this week. Trucks will be on standby to make additional deployments should accumulation reach two inches or more.”
According to the government of Washington, D.C., snowfall is predicted to start at one in the morning and continue all day on Friday, accumulating one to two inches. It said that up to 4 inches of rain could fall on the district.
In preparation for the “dangerous wind chill” and severe snowfall predicted in the upcoming days, West Virginia is also taking measures. Governor Jim Justice (R-WV) ordered all 55 of the state’s counties to declare a state of emergency on Thursday and asked citizens to follow all advisories.
“All West Virginians need to absolutely be ready for the potential impact this winter storm may bring to our state,” Justice stated in a statement. “West Virginians should pay extra close attention to emergency officials and media outlets, and be prepared if there are power outages. West Virginians take care of one another, so make sure you check on your neighbors and loved ones, too.”
