Arlington, TN—
FAST FACTS:
- Freezing fog glazes some roads Monday
- Road crews standing by in case of more trouble
- Experienced drivers urging caution
Dennis.turner@wreg.com
(Arlington, TN 12/21/2009) It doesn't take much ice or water to turn an interstate into a skating rink.
After Monday's freezing fog problems, some experts are warning it could happen again, sooner than you think.
Craig Shire knows weather can be unpredictable in the winter, so he's ready for anything. "Truck's got four wheel drive and we're from Michigan so we're used to it, but if it gets too bad, we just won't go anywhere." he explained.
Freezing fog glazed some Memphis area roads Monday morning surprising lots of rush hour drivers, and contributed to one deadly crash at I-240 and Lamar.
Arkansas saw some problems on several bridges and overpasses.
Some weather experts say it's possible the same conditions could create the potential for problems again Tuesday, and maybe even later in the week.
"It takes just a couple of degrees below freezing to get the bridges and overpasses cooled off so that when the fog falls down and drifts in, it can freeze very, very quickly." said News Channel 3 Meteorologist Austen Onek.
That's why road crews in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas are ready with salt and brine.
They loaded up trucks and tested them out today.
Tennessee alone has 24,000 pounds of salt on hand and 162,000 gallons of brine.
"We get out as early as we can. If it's called for before the work day's over, no one leaves. We're here ready to go," said Nicole Lawrence of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
She says in Memphis, TDOT Smartway cameras will help identify problem areas early. "If they're monitoring those TV's we can be out there before we get a phone call."
But experienced drivers say it's best to avoid getting into a bad situation all together. They say if you have to get out, don't get in a rush. "I've always heard people in the South don't know what to do with snow and ice very well so again, I'll stay out of people's way and hope they stay out of ours." said Shire.
He says it's always best to slow down in bad conditions, give other drivers lots of extra room and don't be in a rush.
Also, Tennessee now has a brand new double snow plow that can clear two lanes at once if they have to clear the roads.
