Jack Frost was an uninvited guest across Middle and East Tennessee Monday morning creating icy road conditions, delays and school closings. The first drops of precipitation began to fall around 5 AM and with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, it wasn’t long before roads became slushy and then ice-covered. Several schools that were originally posting 2-hour delays began to close including Cumberland and Roane Counties. The nasty roads brought on several vehicular wrecks. At one point, Cumberland County E-911 Dispatch reported addressing at least 50 accidents in the span of one hour. A truck salt overturned while it was traveling on Cook Road. Interstate 40 became a skating rink from Crab Orchard eastbound and was finally closed at the Roane County line due to its’ deteriorating condition. Roadways began to thaw as temperatures started to rise in the mid-morning.

Photos courtesy of Keith Tuttle and Doug Swenson.