By Trent Moore

Staff Writer

Though it wasn’t snowing nearly enough to stick Saturday, Kyle and Jenny Clark made their backyard into a winter wonderland, anyway.

“The main ingredients were an air compressor and a pressure washer,” Kyle said, looking out at his backyard nearly two inches deep in snow.

Jenny nodded in agreement.

“It took us about all night to do this,” she added with a laugh.

The Clark’s son — three-year-old Brooks — and friends spent much of the afternoon playing and throwing snowballs in their own private snow globe at their home just off Golf Course Road in Cullman.

“The kids are just having a blast,” Jenny said.

Across town, as a few real snowflakes began to idly fall, Food World Assistant Manager Susie Sisk said business was booming.

“Things have certainly picked up,” she said, noting sales are normally above-average when cold weather strikes.

Basic necessities such as milk and bread were among the big sellers, Sisk said.

“There were a lot of folks out picking up the ingredients to make some milk sandwiches,” she said with a laugh.

Cullman residents are usually quick to stock up when faced with the chance of cold weather, Sisk said.

“Business always picks up whenever the first snowflakes fall,” she said.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Andrew Pritchett said some slight snow is possible today, though accumulation is doubtful.

“For Sunday we have a low pressure system and another shot of some rain and snow mixed,” he said. “Sunday night we’re expecting some scattered flurries and temperatures in the low 20s, but we’re not expecting accumulation.”

For Monday, Pritchett said brisk winds and highs in the 40s should be expected. Tuesday night should bring some scattered flurries, with lows in the mid-20s.

Pritchett said mid-week should bring an end to potentially inclement weather.

“We’re expecting things to clear out by Wednesday,” he said.

With the temperature below freezing at times, and slight rainfalls projected for the next few days, Cullman Emergency Management Agency Director Phyllis Little offered one major tip to remember when driving on potentially icy roads.

“Slow down,” she said in a previous story. “That’s the big one.”

Little noted that “black ice” — slick, frozen areas on asphalt that can be hard to spot — could be a concern around Cullman county.

“’Black ice’ could be a problem,” she said. “There could be some areas with ice.”

Drivers should not break the speed limit, Little said, and should also be very aware of their surroundings.

“Everyone needs to slow down and take that into consideration,” she said. “It can be dangerous.”

Little also offered a tip for drivers who do run into icy spots.

“If you do hit black ice, you automatically want to hit your brakes,” she said. “That’s the wrong thing to do. You need to steer into the slide, get your foot off the gas pedal, and coast through it.”

In addition to icy conditions, frozen water pipes can also be a problem during extremely cold weather.

To prevent pipes from freezing on cold nights, the Red Cross recommends installing products to insulate pipes, such as a “pipe sleeve.” The agency also recommends allowing cold water to drip from faucets served by exposed pipes, because running water through the pipe helps prevent freezing.



‰ Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at , or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.