We expected a wild weather day and Ma Nature did not disappoint! The day began on the icier side of things, with numerous accidents on area roads and reports of people falling on ice. Then, a variety of temps and precip covered the plateau, with some folks rising above freezing during the afternoon. Then, a heavy band of precip brought temps back down and many of us experienced another bout of freezing rain, only to experience a dramatic warming this evening. I just noticed my temperature is beginning to fall again.
The wild ride continues….
Radar shows a variety of precip across the region, with icier precip once again beginning to be the dominant precip type along the western edges of the plateau, moving east, northeast. The icy mix is just beginning to move into Cumberland and Fentress Counties again. The blue outline you see is from the NWS, highlighting those areas for heavier accumulations.
We have very cold, arctic air just to our northwest and west. Folks in Overton County have been dealing with freezing rain for some time, as have folks in western Putnam County. That cold air will settle southward through this evening. By Tuesday morning, we’ll all be in the teens!
Those freezing temperatures will likely freeze the wet roadways that we have. In addition, freezing drizzle and some snow showers will add to the deteriorating condition of the roads. Be very careful if you must be out later tonight and especially in the morning.
Expect up to an additional tenth of an inch of ice, or a good glaze, to be added on tonight. That could be followed by a solid dusting to half an inch of snow.
A winter storm warning continues for the plateau until 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, though our conditions across Cumberland and much of Fentress Counties will likely be more similar to winter weather advisory criteria. That means few impacts to powerlines and trees (thank goodness), while impacts to roadways are likely. Most area schools have cancelled for tomorrow and for good reason!
As for when our temps will begin to drop, it could begin at any time for you, if it hasn’t already. I’ve dropped two degrees in 20 minutes now. I expect most of us to be back below freezing by 9:00 pm. The cold air is slowly moving this direction and once it gets here, it will be here to stay a while. When I say colder air, I mean colder air. We’ll likely stay in the teens for highs tomorrow across much of the plateau, with the luckiest of you reaching 20 for a high!
Please keep in mind that if you must travel westward, the roads are awful the closer to Nashville you get. Later on tonight, roads areawide could become quite treacherous.
You all take care and I’ll update again, as needed.
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