Natalie Neysa Alund, Jordan Buie, and Adam Tamburin

The Tennessean

The most danger left over from Friday's snow storm, may be from the refreezing expected overnight Friday and into Saturday morning, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Bobby Boyd.

Boyd said any slush that melted during the day Friday was likely to freeze again overnight.

"There's going to be ice on these roads and it's a problem we'll have Saturday morning and Sunday morning as people are on their way to church," he said.

Boyd said temperatures for Saturday won't increase enough to melt the snow, with a high of 31 degrees. The high Sunday will reach 39, but likely not enough to melt all of the snow, he said.

A look at Nashville's biggest snowstorms

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry urged people to stay inside their homes Saturday and not venture out onto the roads.

TDOT Spokesperson Nichole Lawrence sent out a tweet on Twitter urging drivers to be mindful of black ice and refreezing.

Emergency crews, motorists and meteorologists were caught by surprise Friday morning when the snowstorm swept through the region hours before it was expected to arrive.

Forecasters had predicted that steady rain would transition into snow between 8 and 9 a.m., but a series of unique weather events, including the seldom-seen "thundersnow," lent the storm unusual speed and strength. Snow reached Nashville around 6 a.m. Snow and ice began accumulating in Clarksville even earlier.

Emergency responders had to scramble to adjust to the new timeline. Officials made early-morning announcements closing offices and schools, while Metro’s Office of Emergency Management activated its Emergency Operations Center at 7:30 a.m. Friday to respond to deteriorating conditions on the roads.

Late Thursday, Gov. Bill Haslam declared that all state offices in 21 west Tennessee counties would be closed. The rest of the state's counties were scheduled to open at their regular hours on Friday but ordered to close at noon.

On Friday afternoon, Jennifer Donnals, a spokeswoman for the governor, continued to urge Tennesseans to stay home and avoid travel unless it is absolutely necessary.

"This will make it easier for emergency personnel and Tennessee Department of Transportation to clear the roads and make them safer for travel," Donnals said, adding that emergency vehicles will continue to be staffed on a 24-hour basis.

At TDOT, managers had to mobilize snowplow drivers who had been scheduled to start later in the day. Snow piled up so quickly that some plow drivers couldn't get out of their neighborhoods and had to be picked up by coworkers.

FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE:

In Franklin, more sleds than salt

Roads iced over, snow falling in Clarksville

More than 100 wrecks reported in Wilson County

What's open, closed in Middle Tennessee

Mayor addresses Nashville thundersnow as it snarls traffic, strands drivers

Forecast

Saturday. Cloudy, some flurries, High 30, Low 16

Sunday: Sunny, High 37, Low 28