Season’s first snowfall blankets the city briefly

By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
A winter wonderland greeted Hartselle and Morgan County residents when they awoke on Sunday morning…the earlier the riser the better.
For a few hours landscapes, rooftops and wooded areas were covered with a one- to two-inch blanket of fresh snow. Its presence was credited to a fast-moving low-pressure system that caused temperatures to drop and changed rain to frozen precipitation overnight.
A winter weather advisory was issued Saturday afternoon with a prediction of one to three inches of snow and a possibility of frozen roadways. This promoted many churches in the area to cancel Sunday morning services.
A worst-case scenario never developed as local streets remained open to traffic and the snow cover vanished rapidly after temperatures rose above the freezing mark. The only exceptions in Hartselle were bridges and steep hills, and they were covered with sand by public works personnel before traffic started moving.
The rare event did give kids an opportunity to make snow angels on a snowy lawn, try their hand at sledding and making snowballs and building a snowman.
Heavier snowfall was reported in Central Alabama and Tennessee. This area’s most recent heavy snowfall (7.3 inches) occurred March 12-13 in 1993.