Rutherford County & Murfreesboro City Schools Closed on Friday, March 3, 2023

Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City Schools have decided to cancel school for Friday, March 3, 2023 out of an abundance of caution due to incoming severe weather. County Schools Director Jimmy Sullivan sent a voice message about the closing to parents on Thursday evening... City Schools mention the same weather concerns as reasons to close schools Friday. The city's ESP will be open from 6am-6pm at the five inclement weather sites.

The high wind warning impacts Rutherford County and surrounding areas between 6AM and 6PM on Friday, March 3, 2023. According to the National Weather Service, the warning shows that wind speeds could be between 25 and 40-miles-per-hour with wind gusts as high as 60-miles-per-hour.

WGNS Weatherology Meteorologist Derek Heit says that winds out of the south will be sustained between 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph:

Wind gusts could be damaging to homes, businesses, trees and power lines. The winds could also impact high profile vehicles, which is an area of concern that was voiced by the director of the county schools. The wind warning is expected to hit Rutherford County during peak traffic times for school busses picking up and dropping off students that attend the county schools.

Schools Director Dr. Sullivan Sent This Message to Parents: "This is Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan with Rutherford County Schools, and we have an important update for you regarding school on Friday."

"We have been monitoring the forecast throughout the day. We don’t want to get in the habit of closing schools simply because of rain or thunderstorms, but we are concerned about the increased risk of tornados and unusually high wind warnings, which can affect the safety of our buses. At 60 miles per hour, wind gusts can cause unsafe conditions for buses because they are high profile vehicles."

"For those reasons and because we do have inclement weather days in reserve, we are going to make the safe decision and close schools on Friday, March 3. Again, all Rutherford County Schools will be closed on Friday, March 3."

"We don’t make these types of decisions lightly, and we do know closing schools inconveniences some parents, but we don’t want to risk any students or employees getting hurt. We now have eight inclement weather days remaining."

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