What’s been a mild winter so far could be changing this weekend. And with that change comes the possibility of severe winter weather in Lakeland. According to the National Weather Service, extremely cold temperatures are expected in Lakeland and the surrounding area starting Sunday, January 14, 2023. Those cold temps will be mixed with winter participation, including the possibility of up to 4 inches of snow in some areas.
The NWS said, “Snow will likely start to accumulate Sunday afternoon and evening and continue intermittently through Monday. Sunday night’s forecast calls for wind chills below zero, mostly north and east of Interstate 40. All of the Midsouth is expected to experience sub-zero wind chills on Monday night.”
As with any weather event, Lakeland City Hall is preparing for worse case scenarios. According to Michael Walker, Lakeland City Manager, the public works department is preparing for inclement weather. “We are having the salt spreader ready to hit major intersections, snowplows for main roads and a brine drip to follow behind the plow,” Mr. Walker told Lakeland Currents. “Crews are also prepared to remove tree limb debris and anything else that may fall in the right-of-way.”
This past summer, a straight line wind storm caused major outages in the area dues to heavy trees and limbs falling. Mr. Walker said the city also has a contingency plan and contract in place should that be an issue this coming weekend and next week. “We also have a contract with Michaels Tree and Loader if the event causes heavy debris and trees that the City may not be equipped to remove,” he said.
