Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown
Note: This story was updated at 8:32 a.m. Feb. 16.
A winter storm warning is in effect in parts of East Tennessee—including Anderson, Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties—and there could be some snow this morning, possibly mixed with sleet, forecasters said. The precipitation could change to a mix of mostly freezing rain and sleet during the day, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. It could change back to sleet or snow before tapering off.
The NWS said snow and sleet accumulations of one to four inches are possible, and total ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch are possible.
The winter storm warning area includes Clinton and Oak Ridge, as well as Kingston and Knoxville. It also includes Jefferson, Grainger, and Union counties, and northwest Blount and north Sevier counties. The storm warning is in effect from 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday.
The forecast near Oak Ridge calls for a 100 percent chance of a wintry mix of precipitation today (Monday, February 16), with a high of 32 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 20 tonight. New ice accumulations of 0.1 to 0.3 inches are possible, and new snow and sleet accumulations of less than one inch are possible, the NWS said.
There is a 20 percent chance of snow before 8 a.m. Tuesday.
A hazardous weather outlook is in effect for parts of southwest North Carolina, East Tennessee, and southwest Virginia. Forecasters said a major winter storm will be moving into the area today, with snow, sleet, and freezing rain possible across the region.
Another blast of cold arctic air will move into the area Tuesday through Sunday, bringing dangerous wind chills for Wednesday night and again Thursday night.
“Temperatures across the region Thursday and Friday mornings will likely be the coldest mornings so far this winter,” the NWS said.
Early Monday, forecasters said ice accumulations across the area will range from one-quarter to one-half inch across the I-40 corridor south to the Georgia state line. Across southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, ice accumulations will be one-tenth of an inch or less.
