More snowy weather leads to numerous problems in the area

After relatively mild winters the last two years, the significant snow and ice the last few weeks may be especially disconcerting. Plans and schedules have had to be re-adjusted, especially when it comes to transportation and therefore the school calendar.

"It's been a pretty exciting winter," said N.C. Department of Transportation District Engineer Charles Reinhardt. "We've been lucky the last three or four winters; there were not major snowfall events. This year it seems like one every week."

While snowfall so far this winter has been heavier than most recent years, it's not on a record-breaking pace, even relative to the last decade. According to figures provided by Margaret Blevins of the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs, there were 16.5 inches of snow recorded there in January, along with 2.55 inches of rain.

That compares to six inches of snow and 3.25 inches of rain in January 2002, and 2.25 inches of snow and 2.51 inches of rain the previous January.

January 2000 saw 22 inches of snow and 3.26 of rain; January 1999, nine inches of snow and 5.17 inches of rain; and January 1998, 27.5 inches of snow and 11.14 inches of rain.

Among the last dozen Januarys, 1996 was the biggest for snow, with 30 inches, along with 7.93 inches of rain. At the other extreme, there was no measurable snow that month in 1995 (which had 12.82 inches of rain) or 1991 (3.83 inches of rain).

School Calendar

Local school administrators discussed how to make up the days missed due to wintry weather during the Alleghany County Schools executive staff meeting on Monday, which also ended up being the 10th day missed of the 2002-03 school year.

Two of those days were made up in December, just before the holiday recess. Superintendent Duane Davis said Tuesday that seven of the remaining eight days will be made up by postponing the end of the school year. May 21 was originally scheduled to be the last day of school for pupils; that date has been pushed back to May 30.

Feb. 24 was originally scheduled to be a no-classes day, a mandatory teacher workday set aside for parent-teacher conferences. However, Davis noted, with the days missed, the end of the six-week and nine-week grading periods have also been delayed. Feb. 24 will therefore be a regular school day.

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