News

Crashes, falls multiply as black ice covers county

By Bill Moss, Published: February 11, 2016

Cars were sliding off the road and crashing into each other as freezing rain caused black ice and very hazardous road conditions on Monday. Henderson County court officials called off the 1:30 p.m. session of criminal District Court and Henderson County announced that it would close its offices at 3 o'clock. Henderson County schools were closed, too.

"We've had several wrecks within the last hour or hour and a half," Maj. Frank Stout of the Henderson County sheriff's office said. "We've had multiple calls from across the county. I know they've had several out Kanuga, several in Flat Rock and in South Mills River. It's pretty hazardous right now. It's even causing some difficulty for our emergency services workers to get to these wrecks."

"We would encourage people to stay in," Stout added. "If you don't have to go out, don't go."

"Black ice has certainly been our worst problem," Emergency Management Director Rocky Hyder said. "We were working 12 accidents at one time. We're down to five accidents at the current time but we've got three falls."

He did not know of the extent of injuries from the crashes.

"I haven't heard of any fatalities but we have transported some people," he said.

The hazardous conditions were evident countywide.

"I think the Weather Service expects the accumulation on the trees to be a little heavier on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge and the Hickory Nut Gorge area. They expect us to have some isolated problems (with power outages) at the very least along the Blue Ridge escarpment," Hyder said.

"If the forecast holds true and temperatures warm up between 10 and midnight, then it may be more isolated." The highest amount of ice cover was right at a quarter-inch, which the weather service uses as "the threshold for the beginning of damaging ice," Hyder said.

Like Stout, Hyder urged people not to drive if it's not absolutely necessary.

"The situation will get better after the temperatures warm up but that'll be tomorrow for most folks," he said.

Although the mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain did not develop overnight as predicted, bus mechanics surveying county roads identified slick spots before 5 a.m., said Assistant Schools Superintendent Bo Caldwell.

"We've got the icy fog coming in," he said. "Every forecast is different. If you look at the National Weather Service we don't expect to get above freezing and there's also a chance of freezing rain. We didn't see a time if it started that we could get buses back in. If you go to the National Weather Service it doesn't get warm to 7 or 8 o'clock. It's a crazy one. This is one that gives me heartburn. You want to do what's right but you've got to do what's safe."

City Manager John Connet said the best window to send workers home was mid-afternoon.

“I guess conditions are going to be as good as they’re going to get until they start deteriorating," he said. "It gives them time to get home before it gets worse. I think our public safety folks have been busy today. They tell me that the bridges and overpasses are very slick.... It's one of those things, unlike a big snow where can see it, you just have to do the best you can, try to make it home safe and be careful."

A pocket of warm air moving into the area tonight should change precipitation to rain. Rain should continue through most of the day Tuesday and with a high of 49 it's unlikely any frozen precipitation would survive.

There's a chance the rain could turn back to snow overnight Tuesday but a warmup returns on Wednesday with a high of 47. Ice accumulation on Monday was expected to be only a tenth of an inch, the NWS said, while rainfall after that  could total 1-2 inches. Chance of precipitation drops to 20 percent.

A break from the cold continues Thursday with a high of 51, Friday with a high of 54 and Saturday with a high of 57.