Jerilyn Moroney sent in this photo showing how snow accumulated deeper in higher elevations while portions of the county only received a dusting of snow. Clay County residents on Monday and Tuesday woke up to frigid temperatures, but temps are supposed rise the rest of the week.
A low pressure system moved through the tri-state area earlier this week bringing with it the first wintry weather of the season. The system moved in Sunday night as rain but by mid-afternoon Monday, snow flakes mixed in.
As the sun set and temperature dropped, the mixture made the transition to all snow. Overnight, the frozen stuff continued to fall, leaving anywhere from trace amounts to a couple of inches depending on elevation by Tuesday morning.
While the NCDOT was able to keep the main roads in Clay County passable, the conditions of some secondary roads led to the cancelation of classes for Clay County schools. The school system was originally scheduled to operate on a two-hour delay, but as the sun rose on conditions Tuesday morning, Superintendent Dale Cole made the decision to cancel the day's activities. Carolina Christian Academy also closed for the day.
The weather also made changes for Hayesville Yellow Jacket athletic events. Both Hayesville Middle School and Hayesville High School volleyball teams were scheduled to host Cherokee Tuesday afternoon. With forecasted high temperatures in the mid 30s, the schools decided to move the competitions to Wednesday.
As the snow added a little something special to the Christmas decorations around the county, the scenes could not be classified as a "winter wonderland" as winter doesn't officially arrive until Dec. 21