NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It may seem like this is the coldest weather ever to hit Nashville. The truth is, this is not a first for our city. If you've lived here awhile, you may remember Nashville's previous below-zero days.
There were icy roads and multi-car pile-ups on interstates in the days leading up to Feb. 5, 1996. Negative one degree.
"My car wouldn't stop!" a woman said, after her car finally slid to a halt on the ice.
By the time those coldest temperatures of 1996 arrived, many were avoiding roads altogether.
"On a day like this, it's safer than driving," laughed one woman walking in the snow and ice with some groceries.
Some were still enjoying the cold.
"Sledding!" said one kid, ready to head down a hill. "Making snow angels! Spending time with my friends!"
Of course, there were problems that followed in 1996. There were potholes, fears of a salt shortage for the road, and crews having to fix broken water mains.
Let's go another step back. The coldest December 23 on record is from 1989. Negative eight degrees.
"Murfreesboro Electric Department?" a woman said, answering a phone. "Yes, ma'am. Three-fourths of the city's without power."
That was when in Rutherford County a circuit overloaded, leaving 25,000 homes and businesses without power. Traffic lights were out, with police having to direct traffic.
Even still, there was a day colder than December 23, 2022, February 5, 1996, or December 23, 1989.
January 21, 1985 was negative 17 degrees.
