Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown
Note: This story was last updated at 3:54 p.m.
A winter storm warning has been issued for Anderson, Knox, Roane, and other counties starting Friday afternoon, and three to five inches of snow is possible in the area, forecasters said.
The winter storm warning goes into effect at 1 p.m. Friday and continues through 7 p.m. Saturday. It’s been upgraded from a winter weather advisory.
A strong winter storm is expected to affect the region starting late Thursday night (January 21) and continuing through early Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The winter storm warning also applies to Loudon, northwest Blount, and north Sevier counties, among other counties, and it includes the cities of Clinton, Kingston, Oak Ridge, Knoxville, Lenoir City, Maryville, and Sevierville. (See the winter storm warning here.)
The wintry precipitation is expected to affect southwest Virginia, far northeast Tennessee, and the mountains starting late Thursday night, and the entire region starting Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday night.
“The heaviest snowfall will likely occur along southwest Virginia, the southern Appalachian Mountains, and the Cumberland Plateau, with the highest amounts occurring along the highest terrain,” the NWS said.
Ice accumulations of up to one-tenth of an inch are also possible along the Cumberland Mountains.
In the Tennessee Valley, precipitation will start as rain on Friday before changing to a wintry mix and then all snow by Friday night, the NWS said. The heaviest snow is expected late Friday night into Saturday morning.
The seven-day forecast near Oak Ridge says new snow and sleet accumulation of one to three inches is possible on Friday night. It doesn’t say how much additional snow is possible on Saturday.
See a map of forecast snow amounts here.
Check the National Weather Service in Morristown for the latest forecast as amounts could change up or down, based on the exact movement of the incoming low pressure system that will be responsible for the wintry weather.
The forecast calls for heavy snow in areas to the north and east, including northeast Tennessee and western North Carolina, as Winter Storm Jonas turns into a major snowstorm Friday.
A National Weather Service map of expected snowfall amounts shows that four to 12 inches of snow are possible in parts of upper East Tennessee and at higher elevations. Snowfall amounts in and around Asheville, North Carolina, could vary between eight and 24 inches. A blizzard watch has been issued for Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York City.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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