Sunshine will be a part of our day for most of the coming week and highs will be in the mid 50s to 60s. It's a "drying time" for the Volunteer State, where steady rainfall brought mudslides, flooding, and deaths.
Nashville Mudslide
Closest to home was a mudslide that occurred early Sunday on I-24 eastbound in neighboring Nashville, near Briley Parkway (mile marker 42). The Tennessee Department of Transportation (T-DOT) reports that it may take a week to re-open the section of interstate, because the soaked soil continues to slide. The state's Geotechs are monitoring the mud to determine when it is safe to bring crews clear the roadway and make repairs.
In the meantime, as motorists near the mudslide area, they are being routed onto Old Hickory Boulevard.
T-DOT estimates that repairs will be completed and road re-opened around midnight on the morning of Monday, March 4, 2019.
Man Killed In Tri-Cities Area
In East Tennessee's Hawkins County a 62-year old Jonesboro man died from injuries sustained when a section of state highway 70 caused the roadway to wash away. His truck slid down a 200-foot hillside. T-DOT geologists report that mud continues to slide and homes within a half-mile radius of the slide.
Signal Mountain Mudslide
In Chattanooga, a subway restaurant was destroyed when a Signal Mountain mudslide crushed the structure. No one was injured, because the manager closed the business on Thursday when a hillside tree slid onto an employee's parked vehicle.
Tupelo Tornado Death
And farther south in Tupelo, Mississippi, the same weather system brought a tornado which collapsed a building. A 41-year old man was killed.
As March approaches, we wonder if 2019 will be a "lamb" or "lion" for the transition to spring.