DUANE SHERRILLEditor

Fun fact. Middle Tennessee was colder than Alaska during the first part of last week as lows reached -9 with a wind chill that made it feel like -13.

The bitter cold left many people trapped at home as roads remained treacherous. For one Tullahoma family, the winter storm of 2024 provided them with an opportunity to do something most Tennesseans don’t get to do – build an igloo.

According to Elizabeth Gray who constructed the igloo along with family members Stephen, Nathan and Amelia Gray the week of Jan. 14, prep work began as soon as the snow started falling and continued even as over a half-foot coated the ground.

“When the snow began to fall on Sunday we placed 50 foil cake pans outside and filled each of them with water and a few drops of food coloring,” Elizabeth said.

She noted temperatures need to dip down into the teens overnight in order for them to fully freeze.

“Tuesday we began constructing the igloo with the frozen bricks,” she said. “We held them together with a mortar made from snow and cold water. We ended up making two more batches of ice bricks and we used about 120 in all to complete the igloo.”

After the hard work was over, the Grays enjoyed the fruits of their frozen labor.

“Once it was finished the four of us piled inside with sleeping bags, candles and hot cocoa to admire our creation,” she said. “It was a lot of fun to make and a great way to stave off cabin fever while being snowed in for an entire week.”