The winter storm that moved through the region Friday, Jan. 10, ended up being a best-case scenario for residents, dropping just 2 to 3 inches of snow while causing minimal power outages, downed trees and wrecks in Union County.
Fortunately, the forecast of 30-plus mph wind gusts never materialized, but impacts from the storm continued over the weekend as temperatures stayed below freezing from the onset into Sunday morning, with icy backroads being the main concern.
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Snow moved in after daylight Friday, dropping fluffy flakes into the afternoon before transitioning to a brief period of sleet. A wintry mix resumed overnight Saturday, contributing to small backroads remaining icy, but main roads were clear – albeit slushy – as early as Saturday morning.
As always, county public safety agencies and the Road Department were prepared for worse. First responders attended two National Weather Service briefings in the run-up to the snow, acting accordingly to make sure all personnel, vehicles and equipment were ready to respond.
The Union County Emergency Management Agency opened the Emergency Operations Center inside Fire Station No. 1 at 7 a.m. Friday, before the first snowflake appeared, and all agencies had additional personnel on standby.
EMA Director David Dyer commended residents for largely staying home, noting that the Union County Sheriff’s Office and Blairsville Police Department responded to just 15 vehicle accidents during the worst part of the storm; only one of the wrecks included injuries.
Pretty much all county roadways were blanketed with snow on Friday, and the Road Department responded by spreading salt and gravel mixtures and deploying snowplows, continuing over the weekend.
Sole Commissioner Harold Collins was out checking county roads Sunday, and he thanked road crews for doing “an excellent job.” He also said that several Road Department clearing crews were at-the-ready for the storm and its aftermath, though only a handful of trees fell.
Blue Ridge Mountain EMC was all hands on deck as well, quickly restoring the relatively few power outages reported across the system. A lack of ice accumulations from being spared freezing rain reduced damage to powerlines and trees, keeping most homes powered and warm.
Union County Government closed public buildings on Friday, and Union County Schools announced the day before that classes would be virtual the day of the storm. Many local businesses closed on Friday, too, with several gradually re-opening over the weekend.
“We really didn’t have any problems,” EMA Director Dyer said. “We had a few wrecks, but that’s to be expected. So, everybody did a great job.
“I think people saw what was coming and expected it to be a lot worse than what it was, which was helpful because people prepared, stayed home, made arrangements. And I think the weekend helped out, because if people had any kind of plans, they canceled them.
“Most employers either had an online day like the kids or they said they’re not going to have work today. Church services, a lot of them said they were going to do it virtually, so I think all those were contributing factors.”
Much of the lingering snow and ice melted Sunday as the sun came out and temperatures climbed above 40 degrees, but black ice into Monday remained a concern at press time, as temperatures once again dropped well below freezing Sunday night.
Union County Schools traveled bus routes Sunday afternoon to decide whether to host classes on campus Monday, opting for another at-home learning day for students, though Union County Government opened public buildings as usual Jan. 13.
County officials are monitoring the potential for additional winter weather coming up this weekend and/or early next week, but it was still too early at press time to say with certainty what, if any, impacts were on the way.
Regardless of the time of year, during any storm that is predicted to impact travel, Dyer said he advises people to listen to public safety warnings, take precautions and stay home.
