KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler placed patrol units on the office's snow plan Thursday evening, as snow continued to fall across East Tennessee.
Officials said that the sheriff's office would only respond to emergency calls for service due to deteriorating road conditions. Spangler is also asking people to stay home unless they need to travel in the event of an emergency.
He said that traveling was dangerous Thursday evening and that it should be avoided. People who need to travel should use extreme caution, drive slowly and leave plenty of space between motorists. They should also watch for downed power lines and trees as snow accumulates.
Numerous spots in the Knoxville metro area were seeing backups as snow fell, slick spots and some crashes. That included Chapman Highway and Governor John Sevier Highway. At 7 p.m., the Knoxville Police Department activated Level 2 of the Severe Weather Plan.