January 15 Snow Blog: Stay home if possible

12:30 p.m.

– Most of the major locations within the Tri-Cities region are discouraging travel for the evening as snowfall has intensified in both Tennessee and Virginia. Recent reports called into our traffic hotline indicate slick spots are forming on parts of Interstate 26, especially near the Interstate 81-26 interchange in Kingsport.

– Snow statement from City of Johnson City: With snow accumulations predicted today and tomorrow, Johnson City Public Works crews are prepared to tackle clearing snow and ice from the streets.

Prior to the start of this winter storm, crews began placing a layer of brine, a solution of salt and water which has a lower freeze point than pure water, on the roadways to reduce snow adhesion and ice buildup. Once temperatures drop to 30 degrees, brine becomes ineffective and City crews switch to magnesium chloride for road treatment.

“All is going well with the road clearing efforts,” said Public Works Director Jason Miles. “We have been monitoring road conditions throughout the morning and are prepared to clear streets as the snow accumulations mount.”

Currently, crews are operating two to three trucks in each of the nine assigned zones to plow city streets. There are two 12-hour shifts working through the day and night to remove snow. The first shift began at 6 a.m. today (Jan. 15) and the second will begin at 6 p.m. This schedule will remain in place until the weather event concludes.

– A recent update posted by the National Weather Service in Morristown says sleet is mixed in with the snowfall in portions of East Tennessee including one report in Gatlinburg.

Here’s how snowfall forecasts can come in under. On the left is normal reflectivity, on the right is a product that measures how alike the returns are. Yellows/Greens on the right indicate that there’s mixed precipitation, and ground reports show sleet mixing in with the snow! pic.twitter.com/Sv9dczeIK7

— NWS Morristown (@NWSMorristown) January 15, 2024

(IMAGE: J. Olsen / Bristol Broadcasting Co News)