1998 Dynamic Cooling Snowstorm
The 1998 Dynamic Cooling Snowstorm was a surprise winter storm on Feb. 3-4, 1998 that dumped up to 18 inches of snow on Scott County and is regarded as the most destructive winter storm in the county’s history. For hundreds of residents, power was out for more than a week.
Background
Rain was in the forecast for the northern Cumberland Plateau region on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998, with temperatures expected to be in the 30s for the duration of the event, and rain perhaps ending as snow on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with little accumulation expected. No watches, warnings or advisories were issued by the National Weather Service.
A large, slow-moving storm system developed along the Gulf Coast and moved up the eastern seaboard. In addition to the low pressure system’s slow movement, it pulled in moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, which is a rare source of moisture for storm systems that impact East Tennessee.
The Storm
Soon after rain had begun to fall on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 3, it changed to snow. Huge snowflakes, the size of half-dollars, fell heavily and furiously, and snow began to accumulate almost immediately despite surface temperatures that were above freezing.
Even as snow was accumulating in Scott County, parts of Morgan County, and parts of Campbell County, meteorologists at Knoxville TV stations were forecasting rain on the 6 p.m. news that evening, Feb. 3.
The reason for the surprise snowstorm was a process known as “dynamic cooling.” Essentially, it occurs when a strengthening low pressure system has enough vertical motion — referred to as lift — to produce heavy precipitation. As the air rises, it cools within the atmosphere. This can cause rain to change over to wet snow as it falls through the atmosphere, even if temperatures are above 32°. The snowstorm impacted much of the Ohio Valley, including eastern Kentucky, but a relatively small swath of East Tennessee. It was primarily limited to Scott, Morgan and Campbell counties in Tennessee.
By the time the snow had stopped falling two days later, a total of 18 inches was on the ground. Unfortunately, National Weather Service records for Oneida are missing for that time frame. However, it has been estimated in hindsight that as much as two feet of snow actually fell in Scott County, though the snow depth was never that significant due to melting and compaction of the snow. If records were available, it would go down as the largest snowfall in Scott County’s history.
In Louisville, Ky., 22 inches of snow fell and it is still regarded as the biggest three-day snow total in the city’s history.
Power Outages
The weight of the heavy snow collapsed awnings and caused significant power outages due to downed power lines. The collapsed lines were usually caused by fallen trees — often loblolly pines that could not withstand the weight of the snow. Residents reported hearing what sounded like gunshots when they stepped outside in the silence of the snowfall, as trees snapped under the weight of the snow. In the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, many four-wheel-drive roads outside the gorge area that had remained open after the establishment of the national park were closed by the fallen trees and were never reopened.
Trees continued to fall for many hours after the snow stopped. Travelers reported using chainsaws to cut their way out to go to work, then having to use saws to cut their way back home again due to more trees that had fallen during their absence.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, Plateau Electric Cooperative reported that 14,400 homes and businesses in Scott and Morgan counties were without power. More than 4,500 remained without power as the weekend arrived. On Tuesday, Feb. 11 — one week after the snowstorm struck — 444 homes and businesses remained without power, with the largest number of those being in the Brimstone area of southern Scott County.
Aftermath
Crews from Plateau Electric Cooperative worked around the clock for more than a week to restore power. They were joined in their efforts by utility crews from surrounding areas. As many as 150 workers combatted the outages in 16-hour and 18-hour shifts. It still stands as the worst power outage in PEC’s history.
The Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Scott County Rescue Squad and other volunteer organizations responded to numerous emergency calls, including delivering food, oxygen and medicines to stranded residents, as well as transporting sick residents to the hospital. In some cases, deputies were forced to walk to homes because they could not reach them in four-wheel-drive vehicles due to fallen trees.
Every road in Scott County, including the major highways, were closed for a period of time by fallen trees. S.R. 297 through Paint Rock was still closed on Monday, Feb. 9 — nearly a week later. As roads were reopened, they were usually limited initially to a single lane of traffic due to the fallen trees.
Ambulances had a difficult time responding to calls. The LifeCare Medical Transport of Helenwood reported that it took six hours to respond to an emergency call at Paint Rock, and 12 hours responding to a call at Smith Creek.
People who ventured out in four-wheel-drive vehicles found that power outages were so widespread that gas stations and other businesses were unable to operate.
In the Town of Winfield alone, 1,328 man-hours from 116 people had been logged in response to the snowstorm by Saturday, Feb. 7.
Aid
Hundreds of volunteers from across Scott County assisted with manpower and four-wheel-drive or off-road vehicles, helping first responders reach stranded residents or using chainsaws to clear roadways.
Numerous surrounding utility companies assisted Plateau Electric Cooperative with power restoration.
The Tennessee Division of Forestry assisted the Scott County Road Department with clearing roadways of downed trees.
The American Red Cross established an emergency shelter at Higher Life Assembly of God in Helenwood. The shelter was later moved to the Huntsville Community Center, where showers were available and hot meals were served to emergency workers in the field, as well as residents who remained without power.
The Tennessee National Guard was mobilized to assist with the Scott County Sheriff’s Department as it responded to emergency calls.
Perception
Despite the devastating results, the 1998 Dynamic Cooling Storm isn’t remembered — perhaps because it was not forecasted. By contrast, the Blizzard of ’93 was forecasted for days in advance and dominated the airwaves of regional and national news broadcasts.
With the passage of time, many Scott Countians conflict the Blizzard of ’93 with the Dynamic Cooling Storm of 1998. For instance, when residents recall being without power for days or weeks at a time, they usually remember it as the Blizzard of ’93, but they’re actually remembering the 1998 storm.
Plateau Electric Cooperative reported in 1993 that no more than 5% of its customers were without power at any one time during the blizzard, and the longest power outage was 36 hours, in the Adams Hills area of Morgan County.
By contrast, virtually everyone was without power for hours or days in the aftermath of the 1998 storm. Thousands were without power for at least five days, and hundreds were without power for more than a week.
Additionally, students returned to class soon after the Blizzard of ’93, due to warm temperatures and quick melting. The blizzard began on Friday, March 12, and students in the Oneida Special School District were back in class by Wednesday, March 17.
Following the 1998 snowstorm, on the other hand, schools were closed the remainder of the week of Tuesday, Feb. 3, and the entirety of the next week before finally reopening in mid February.
Lasting Impacts
In 2024, more than 25 years after the fact, you can take a walk on exposed ridge tops with shallow soil in Scott County, which were once dominated by loblolly pine and longleaf pine, and find walking difficult due to deadfall that has not completely rotted away, and the thickets of briars and brambles that have resulted from the deforestation. This is largely due to the Dynamic Cooling Snowstorm of 1998, although the Southern Pine Beetle Infestation that followed in 1999 also played a key role.
By 2000, thanks to the combined impact of those two ecological disasters, there were virtually no loblolly or longleaf pine trees still living in Scott County.
Media Coverage
The snowstorm attracted multiple TV news crews to Scott County to cover the phenomenon. Following is the story that appeared in the following week’s edition of the Independent Herald.
