With January wrapped up and February in full swing, it should come as no surprise to anyone in Highlands that winter weather is a regular possibility for the next several weeks.
While the thought of snow may bring excitement to some, for others the idea of seeing whitewashed roads brings dread. Friday was the perfect example of just how crazy the conditions can get with little or no notice.
However, snow in the air or on the roads, should not incite panic.
Officials at Highlands School provided a perfect blueprint for dealing with sudden and unexpected snowfall. Faced with the option to call school off early and send students home while the roads were at their worst, principal Brian Jetter and his staff made the decision to simply let the snow pass and allow the NC Department of Transportation time to clear the roads before dismissing students at the regularly scheduled time.
Unfortunately, many motorists did not use the same level of discretion employed by the leadership of Highlands School.
Cars were slipping and sliding all over the Highlands-Cashiers plateau on Friday morning. Tow trucks were busy, helpful neighbors with four-wheel drive did their best to drag vehicles from roadside ditches and police and firefighters maintained a safe flow of traffic around accidents and incidents.
With temperatures expected to fall out of the 60s, through the 50s and into the 40s ahead of the weekend, the possibility of snow or freezing rain will once again arise.
If that happens, we should all take a page out of the Highlands School playbook and just stay put.
Unless it’s an emergency, the safest place to be during a winter weather event is off the roads all together and with a little patience it’s likely that no one will be shut in for too long.
Slipping, sliding and possibly ending up in a ditch or over an embankment is too big a risk to take and Highlands’ curvy and steep roads are quick to become treacherous. Staying put until conditions improve is in everyone’s best interest.