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CNN Live At Daybreak

South Gets Another Helping of Snow

Aired February 06, 2002 - 06:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Orelon Sidney has been telling you about a big, big storm that's blanketing the South right now. In fact, it's snowing in Arkansas. We want to go live there right now where it looks beautiful. Tara Nurin, you're in Forrest City? It looks beautiful. How does it feel?

TARA NURIN: It's very cold, and I can tell you the wind and snow are biting my face, but yes it is beautiful, and it is coming down very heavily right now. Hopefully you can see all of these flakes. It's been snowing here since 10:00 Central time last night, and I can tell you they haven't seen snow like this here in Forrest City in about a decade. So when everybody wakes up this morning, it's going to be quite a site for them.

Now let's talk about accumulation here. I don't have a ruler, so we can't be that precise, but we can always fall back on the trusty hand test. Let's see, a couple of minutes ago it was about three inches and now it looks like we've got four inches here accumulated on the ground. Now as far as road conditions go, they're not really icy. What we've got here in Forrest City is more slush. What we have working to our advantage is that it was very warm last week across the mid South and the roads, at this point, are too warm really to get icy.

However, there is a tractor-trailer accident that's causing driving on Interstate 40 to be very, very difficult. In fact, the eastbound side of I-40 is completely blocked. About an exit east of here in Forrest City, you're looking at video of that right now, they are waiting for the tractor-trailer to be moved out of the way and of course, there is certainly no telling how long that will take. So if you've got to be driving on I-40 in the Forrest City, Arkansas area, you may want to pull over to the side of the road to get some coffee or step out of your car and enjoy the snow, maybe pick it up. It's not great snowball snow. It's kind of powdery, but who knows when it will be this snowy here in Arkansas again.

I'm Tara Nurin in Forrest City, Arkansas.

COSTELLO: Step out of your car and enjoy the snow. Don't worry about that traffic jam. Hey Tara, does Arkansas have the equipment to deal with this kind of weather?

NURIN: Well, actually here in Forrest City, they've only got one salt truck and earlier today they were having such an easy time of the roads because they weren't icy. They sent that salt truck to another town. Now we are standing right by the Interstate, as you saw a minute ago, and there are salt trucks all over the Interstate putting salt and chemicals down on the ramps and on the Interstate. So they do seem to be attacking it fairly well, at least for the moment.

COSTELLO: OK. Tara Nurin, thank you very much for that trusty hand test. We appreciate it.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: And try to keep warm.

NURIN: Thanks.

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