22 Jan Duck River EMC monitors approaching winter storm
Duck River EMC personnel are watching weather forecasts closely today in case the wintery conditions predicted for the service area trend toward ice and snow accumulation that could affect power lines and trees.
The National Weather Service forecasts mainly rain through mid-morning in southern Middle Tennessee, changing to a wintery mix this afternoon before becoming all snow tonight through 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Accumulation of 1-2 inches could occur, with localized areas seeing more or less.
“At this point, the greater possibility of freezing rain is north of us, but this could change,” says Steve Oden, DREMC’s director of member services.
Freezing rain can quickly turn to ice when it hits cold surfaces, making roads dangerously slick and weighing down trees and power lines to cause outages. In addition, when the snow begins to fall today, it could be heavy and wet, according to updated forecasts.
“This means evergreens, like pines and cedars, could shear off branches or splinter. Even worse, with the wet ground, the weight of snow could cause trees to uproot,” Oden warns.
He advises DREMC members to stay updated on local weather conditions and checkwww.dremc.com , the co-op’s Facebook page and social media for information during this winter storm.
“Remember, you can now report power outages on Duck River’s mobile app. The download is free. Instructions are on the website,” says Oden.
DREMC’s Outage Viewer is another way of keeping informed. It shows outage locations and numbers of members affected.
Finally, co-op members are urged to be prepared. Extended power outages can result from these types of winter storms.