Issued Saturday at 8:45 pm, January 24, 2026

Winter Storm Conditions Continue Across the Plateau Tonight. Travel Could Become Impossible at Times. Conditions Improve Later Tonight.

Update

I posted this on Facebook and I need to say it here, as well. Remember, conditions vary (sometimes wildly) from community to community on this plateau. Some of you have reached the 1/4″ ice criteria, while others of you are nowhere near it. Those of you in Jamestown are showing 26° deg with freezing rain, while I’m now at 30° here in Rinnie. Crossville is showing 31° now.

Keep in mind that all of us will warm above freezing by 3:00 a.m. (some of you will get above freezing by midnight, esp if you’re at a higher elevation (I’ve explained that in past forecast, if you remember)). As soon as your temp gets to 33°, accumulation will stop on trees and powerlines. Roads and the ground will take much, much longer, as they are much, much colder.

Some of you are like me and witnessed some dramatic changes in the amount of ice on the trees over the past hour. Just remember that things will NOT get worse overnight. In fact, things will improve. Warm air is moving in and that will continue through the night. I expect to reach 1/4″ criteria in the next hour or so and that should be as much as I get here (if the temp continues to rise at this rate).

Interestingly, in these situations the temp tends to halt at 32° for while, owing to heat transfer processes with phase changes. But, it will then jump on up to 33°. At that point, the ice threat begins to decrease.

I’m also hearing of power outages across the plateau in different communities. You all stay safe.

I’ll keep watching those temps and waiting with great anticipation for 33°.

To keep up with road conditions, visit TDOT Smartway at https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic?features=incident,severeImpact,traffic&position=35.95318189,-85.0558976,10

To keep up with power outages, visit https://poweroutage.us/area/state/tennessee

Those of you in deeper valleys will see precip transition to rain later than the rest of us, which could cause you to reach or possibly exceed the 1/2 inch of ice threshold.

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