6 inches of snow in some communities snarls traffic

A surprise snow storm Monday snarled traffic, closed schools and government offices and prompted many children and adults to grab a sled or cardboard box and look for the nearest hill.

After the forecast called for little or no accumulation, more than half a foot of snow fell in some Shoals communities. Numerous wrecks caused by slick roads were reported before temperatures warmed above freezing and travel conditions began to improve Monday afternoon.

"We had several wrecks during the morning hours," said George Grabryan, director of the Florence-Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency. "Fortunately, all of them were relatively minor with no serious injuries being reported."

While Monday's snowfall was expected to melt overnight, light snow is possible Friday as another storm system moves through the Tennessee Valley. Forecasters, emergency agencies and road department officials say they are keeping a close watch on that weather system.

Road and street department crews around the Shoals worked much of the morning Monday spreading salt, sand and anti-icing chemicals in an attempt to keep traffic moving. Road graders and snow plows also were used to help clear snow from roadways. In spite of the work by road and street crews, hills proved challenging to many motorists unable to gain traction in the snow.

By noon, temperatures had risen into the middle to upper 30s and much of the snow had melted from most roads.

Some motorists parked their vehicles beside the road Monday morning and waited until the snow melted to retrieve them.

Temperatures were expected to remain above freezing overnight.

Mike Melton, director of the Colbert County Emergency Management Agency, said until the snow began to melt, emergency responders were working wrecks caused by the slippery conditions.

"From Barton Station west, the roads were in pretty bad shape," Melton said. "Our heaviest snow was in the Riverton-Rose Trail area where it was more than 5 inches deep in some spots."

The deepest snow reported in Lauderdale was in the Anderson area where more than 6 inches was reported, Grabryan said.

"This one kind of slipped up on us," he said. "We had been talking to the Weather Service all weekend about the possibility of snow, but there was nothing in the forecasts to indicate this much snow was possible."

Mike Coyne, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Huntsville, said even forecasters were caught off-guard by the heavy snow.

"What happened was the computer models we use to prepare our forecasts all showed the precipitation coming in later in the day after the temperature had warmed above freezing," Coyne said. "What happened was we had this one little band of precipitation come through well ahead of schedule when the temperature was still below freezing."

Sleet began falling in the Shoals about 6:30 a.m. and quickly changed to snow. Visibility at times was reduced to less than 500 feet.

Coyne said the frozen precipitation fell along a narrow band extending from along the Tennessee line into southern Colbert. The snow band in Alabama stretched from Mississippi to Madison County. Heavy snow also was reported in northeast Mississippi.

County schools in Colbert and Lauderdale closed. Some other school systems dismissed early. Courthouses in both counties also closed early.

After classes at the University of North Alabama were canceled at 11 a.m., many students began to play in the snow.

For UNA freshman Anh Nguyen, of Vietnam, it was the first time she had played in snow.

"I love it," Nguyen screamed as she slid down a hill on campus using a cardboard box wrapped in plastic as a sled. "When I woke up this morning and saw the snow, I was excited."

Her friend, David Sercel, of Ethridge, Tenn., shared tips for how to have fun in the snow.

"I was born in Colorado, so I'm used to seeing snow, but this is still a lot of fun," Sercel said. "It's been a long time since we had this much snow around here."

It was the most snow Karlee Cunningham, a UNA freshman from Daytona Beach, Fla., had ever seen.

"We had a little snow when I was about 3," she said. "This is the first time in my life I've actually been able to play in the snow." Cunningham and her friend, Sarah Roberts, a junior from Maryville, Tenn., spent the morning sledding on hills around campus.

Colby Carlisle, a sophomore from Lincoln, used a snowboard to slide down the slopes around campus.

"I usually go to North Carolina or out West to go snowboarding," he said. "This is the first time I've ever been able to snowboard in Alabama."

As road conditions began to improve Monday afternoon, forecasters turned their attention to the possibility of flooding along the Tennessee River. Meteorologists were concerned that rainfall expected overnight could spur flooding. A flood warning is in effect for low-lying areas along the Tennessee River in Colbert and Lauderdale. Pickwick Lake began spilling over its banks Sunday into low areas of McFarland Park in Florence.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.