Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts is asking residents to avoid driving and stay safe at home today, as the city and surrounding areas deal with snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures.
Clarksville residents are awakening Friday morning to mercury readings of around -3 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chills of -23. The day’s high temperature will only top out at around 12 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, with an overnight low on Friday night of around 7 degrees.
Mayor Pitts said such cold temperatures hamper the Clarksville Street Department’s ability to make rapid progress on clearing city streets. Under these conditions, salt can actually make road conditions worse. The bitterly cold weather and its impact on the viscosity of diesel fuel also create challenges for the Street Department in maintaining street-clearing trucks and equipment.
Temperatures are expected to slowly moderate through the Christmas holiday weekend, but significant improvement isn’t expected until the coming week, so residents are urged to stay inside and stay warm at home and keep off the roads as much as possible.
