Tennessee takes brunt of problems from fast-moving snowstorm

<br>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Abandoned cars and school buses littered the side of roads across Tennessee early Friday, a day after a fast-moving storm dropped a layer of snow that was blamed in at least

Friday, January 17th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Abandoned cars and school buses littered the side of roads across Tennessee early Friday, a day after a fast-moving storm dropped a layer of snow that was blamed in at least one death.

The storm hit Tennessee on Thursday and moved into the mid-Atlantic states early Friday, leaving a blanket of snow stretching to Delaware.

Twenty-three inches of snow fell in the mountains of West Virginia, and Virginia and Tennessee were digging out from under as much as 8 inches in some parts. Maryland's Eastern Shore received 7 inches and North Carolina's higher elevations got 6 inches. Delaware reported up to 4 inches.

In West Virginia, at least 30 counties canceled classes, and most schools and some colleges were closed in Virginia.

In Tennessee, a driver was killed Thursday when her car hit a patch of black ice and hit the back of a truck on Interstate 24 in Clarksville, 11 miles south of the Kentucky line, police said. The victim was identified as Sheila A. Reed, 37.

``The snow fell faster than anyone could respond to it,'' said Nashville public works spokeswoman Gwen Hopkins.

The treacherous roads forced Tennessee Gov.-elect Phil Bredesen to cancel his inauguration parade set for Saturday because he said he didn't want high school bands and others to have to travel across the state.

Most of the snow and ice was not expected to melt until Sunday, the first day temperatures were expected to climb above freezing.

While traffic moved slowly Friday, roads were less congested than they were Thursday when offices and schools in the Nashville area closed about the same time.

The result was a marathon gridlock as people tried to make their way home on icy roads and in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Commutes that usually took 15 or 20 minutes stretched to three to four hours, and some drivers ran out of gas while idling on clogged interstates.

Some school buses didn't get children home until 10 p.m., after public schools closed down at about 9 a.m. At one point, 60 school buses were stranded throughout the city, and early Friday more than half of those were still stuck.