With winter comes the fun and joy of the holiday season. Unfortunately, winter also brings danger to the greater Memphis Area: icy weather.
In a study done by www.icyroadsafety.com, there were at least 477 deaths due to icy roads in the United States during the 2008-2009 winter season and at least 458 during the 2009-2010 winter season.
According to Nichole Lawrence, the Community Relations Officer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in Region 4, those numbers have been consistent through to this year.
“Safety is TDOT’s number one goal,” said Lawrence. “The roads can be treacherous during these conditions, and people need to be aware of these dangers.”
Ice forms on roadways when temperatures reach below freezing (32 degrees) and when moisture sticks to the road. This can happen in different ways including frost, fog passing over a cold roadway surface, freezing of groundwater seepage or melted snow, freezing of snow that had initially melted on a warm road surface and freezing rain. One of the most dangerous forms of road ice, black ice, is difficult to see and can be dangerous to unaware drivers.
According to U.S. Climate Data, Memphis’s average temperatures in the month of December range between a high of 52 degrees and a low of 35 degrees, between 50 degrees and 35 degrees in January and between 55 degrees and 36 degrees in February. The average precipitation in December is 5.75 inches, 3.98 inches in January and 4.41 inches in February. But those are only averages, and Lawrence warns that colder temperatures could lead to more problems for drivers.
“Shelby County experienced some very severe cold weather last year with temperatures reaching as low as 5 degrees,” said Lawrence. “Add some precipitation into that mix and you can have a dangerous problem for drivers.”
Last year, the United States experienced a polar vortex – a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere, which sits over the polar region during the winter season. According to AccuWeather, the United States could very possibly experience this large pocket of cold air again, although not as persistent.
The best way to avoid these conditions is to just stay away from driving on the roadways no matter what, Lawrence said.
“You are going to have students who will want to drive out and see their friends when they are out of school due to the inclement weather,” said Lawrence. “If you must drive on the roads, check out our winter safe driving tips on our website.”
Some of the safe driving tips found on TDOT’s website include reducing your speed, traveling safely around snow plows which are vehicles designed to clear snow from the road, being prepared before leaving for your destination and performing safe driving maneuvers.
“TDOT would much rather those students stay at home,” said Lawrence. “It is not worth risking your safety to drive on the slippery, icy roadways.”
