Huntsville city officials are confident they are better prepared for the upcoming winter storm compared to last year's ice storm that crippled the city.
Huntsville city officials are confident the community will fare better this weekend as a winter storm approaches than it did almost exactly a year ago when much of north Alabama was crippled for several days by an ice storm. But how Huntsville and the rest of the Tennessee Valley fare may depend more on what kind of precipitation falls and how low temperatures dip if the winter storm hits as expected on Friday.
The Huntsville area is expecting more of a snow event according to the National Weather Service when the system hits, with some areas in the valley receiving as much as eight inches. In his report to the Huntsville City Council last February, City Administrator John Hamilton said the city was prepared for snow when the area was hit by several inches of freezing rain and sleet instead. That made some of the treatment of city roads ineffective in preparations beforehand. Hamilton said the ice was so hard on the roads, even the blades on motor graders were ineffective. “They were just chattering across the ice,” Hamilton said. “They had to be pulled off the roads until the weather improved for their tools and their materials.” This is solid ice on a street in Huntsville, Ala.'s medical district. The ice melted a bit and refroze for several days keeping residents inside and heating units working hard. But another factor that hindered the city’s response is not expected to be in play this time – temperatures falling into the single digits. Hamilton said salt and chemicals used to treat roads last year were ineffective when the temperature dropped below 20 degrees. Temperatures dropped into the single digits during the week and did not climb above 20 degrees most days. “There were periods where all of those agencies pulled crews off the roads because the salt could not be effective,” Hamilton said. Hamilton said the city’s equipment needed to be upgraded to handle winter events Huntsville normally experiences
Winter Storm Ice Storm Huntsville Alabama Weather Preparedness
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