Featured Photo courtesy of MTSU Marketing and Communications
Story by Destiny Mizell
Retail workers are cursing the heavens, children are jumping for joy, truck drivers are scoping out stranded sedans and residents are trudging out of their homes with tote lids or pool floats clutched in their socked hands. It’s a southern snow day.
However, in Middle Tennessee’s case, it’s sort of a snow week.
Middle Tennessee winters usually receive dustings of snow here and there, but sometimes a snowstorm hits. Sunday night the flurries came in and persisted for several hours, then started again Monday afternoon, leading to a winter’s worth of snow in Nashville in less than 24 hours: 7.6 inches. Middle Tennessee snow ranged from 3.9 inches in Fredonia to 9 inches in Bellemeade.
Murfreesboro received 6.9 inches total.
Middle Tennessee State University and Rutherford County Schools are closed for inclement weather until Monday, delaying the start of spring term for MTSU. Many businesses are still closed as well.
With schools closed, nowhere to go and nearly 7 inches of snow on the ground, two of the most common questions people ask themselves — and their community on various Murfreesboro Facebook groups — are “Where can I sled?” and “Where can I buy a sled?”
Students and families alike gravitated toward Greek Row at MTSU where they were met with stereos and steep slopes. Churches and schools such as New Vision Baptist Church and Barfield Elementary have been a popular choice as well. No location could top the buzz around sledding off of 840 ramps, such as the Veterans Parkway exit, though.
While the hill recommendations aren’t hard to come by, purchasing a sled can be a little more difficult. Murfreesboro residents seemed to have the most luck with local hardware stores but still had room to improvise. People have been spotted on inflatable canoes, innertubes, flattened cardboard boxes and even garbage lids and bags.
With the sun shining all day Wednesday and the above freezing temperatures forecasted Thursday, Rutherford County Highway Superintendent Greg Brooks hopes to see a significant amount of the snow melt off the salted roads.
Unless otherwise notified, Rutherford County Schools and MTSU plan to be back in session on Monday.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell and Assistant Lifestyles Editor Shamani Salahuddin, email [email protected]. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines.
