Oak Ridge Today

Schools, state offices closed Friday

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Oak Ridge Schools and Tennessee government offices will be closed Friday because of weather and road conditions, and Oak Ridge city offices will open late.

Anderson County government offices could be closed Friday as well, although a decision hadn’t been announced as of 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

Winter weather that started Thursday included freezing rain, ice, snow, and cold temperatures, and state offices and schools were closed Thursday also while some city offices closed early.

The cold weather is forecast to continue Friday, although no snow is forecast after midnight Thursday in Oak Ridge.

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Snow, cold likely, NWS says

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Snow and cold temperatures are likely in Oak Ridge on Thursday, the National Weather Service in Morristown said, and many schools in the area, including in Oak Ridge, are closed.

Here is the NWS forecast for the Oak Ridge area on Thursday, when the high is expected to be 36 degrees Fahrenheit, with a mostly cloudy sky and a wintry mix of precipitation:

  • Rain, snow, and sleet before 4 p.m. Thursday.
  • Rain between 4 and 5 p.m.
  • Rain and snow after 5 p.m.

The chance of precipitation is 100%, but the Weather Service does not expect much snow or sleet to accumulate. The NWS said it has “moderate confidence in the start time for snow since minor changes in temperature can affect when rain turns to snow.”

But this evening, there could be one to two inches of snow that accumulate, the NWS said. Snow is likely mainly before 8 p.m., the forecast said. The chance of precipitation is 60%.

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Snow possible in Oak Ridge

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

One to two inches of snow are possible in Oak Ridge early Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

A significant snowstorm is expected late Sunday night and Monday morning, the NWS said.

“Heavy snowfall rates can be expected early Monday morning that will limit visibilities to near zero at times,” the Weather Service said.

More snow is expected in other areas, especially to the north and east of Oak Ridge, with six to eight inches expected in the Gatlinburg area and four to six inches in Greeneville and Johnson City.

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City receives grant for water plant landslide

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Pictured above is the landslide next to the access road to the Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant on Pine Ridge, above the Y-12 National Security Complex, on Saturday night, February 23, 2019. (File photo courtesy CNS Y-12)

The City of Oak Ridge has received a $17,389 grant to cover some costs associated with a landslide at the access road to the water treatment plant above the Y-12 National Security Complex in 2019.

The estimated costs of the repairs are $384,444, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Patrick Berge said in a memo to City Manager Mark Watson.

The city began talking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency immediately after the landslide, and the discussions included potential future reimbursements, Berge said. The $17,389 partial reimbursement is through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

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Air quality alert in effect until midnight Saturday

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Haze from wildfires in western states and Canada obscures the Cumberland Mountains north of Oak Ridge in this view from Pine Ridge last week, on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An air quality alert is in effect until midnight as smoke from wildfires in western states and Canada continues to blow through the region. The smoke also affected air quality in the region last week.

On Friday, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued a code orange air quality alert for fine particulate matter, including in the Knoxville metropolitan area. The air quality alert includes Anderson County. It went into effect at midnight Friday and continues until midnight Saturday.

The orange alert means the air is unhealthy for people in sensitive groups, according to AirNow.gov. This includes people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teenagers. They should choose less strenuous activities, like walking instead of running, so they don’t breathe as hard. They should also shorten the amount of time they are active outdoors, and postpone outdoor activities if possible to when the air quality is better. Everyone else can enjoy outdoor activities, AirNow.gov said.

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Heat advisory canceled, but heat indices could still exceed 100

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Showers and thunderstorms Friday morning brought high cirrus clouds to the region, affecting temperatures this afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

“Therefore, the heat advisory has been canceled,” said the NWS in Morristown.

However, high temperatures are still expected in the low 90s with heat indices above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the Weather Service said.

A hazardous weather outlook that includes East Tennessee said temperatures in the low to mid 90s are expected today in the southern Tennessee Valley and southern Cumberland Plateau, along with heat indices of more than 100.

The hazardous weather outlook includes Anderson County.

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Heat index in Kingston could hit 105 on Friday

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

The heat index in the region is forecast to be in the high 90s or 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday and as high as 105 degrees in Kingston on Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

The high in Oak Ridge is forecast at 97 degrees on Thursday. The heat index is forecast to be a bit higher than that in the region. It is forecast at 99 degrees in Knoxville on Thursday and 100 in Kingston. The heat index includes the effect of humidity and measures how hot it will feel.

The forecast calls for an even higher heat index on Friday. Kingston is forecast to have a heat index of 105 on Friday, Knoxville will feel like 102 degrees, and Chattanooga could have a heat index of 106, the NWS said.

“Looks like a few more hot days ahead with heat indices exceeding the century mark in the southern valley,” the Weather Service said in a social media post. “As of now, Friday looks warmest, however there will be a front in the area during the afternoon, which could alter things.”

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Heat wave forecast again this week

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Another heat wave is expected to build in the region this week, forecasters said.

Scattered showers and storms were expected early this week, and the heat wave is forecast to build into the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians by mid-week, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

Above-normal temperatures can be expected from Wednesday to Friday, with temperatures climbing into the middle 90s or possibly upper 90s across parts of the Tennessee Valley, the NWS said.

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High temperatures expected due to heat wave

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

High temperatures are expected across the Tennessee Valley and the southern Appalachian Mountains as a heat wave expands across much of the country, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. With humidity, heat indices in the region could exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The heat wave is forecast for the rest of July and into early August.

“Above-normal temperatures are likely over the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians,” the NWS said. “Temperatures will climb into the middle and upper 90s across parts of the Tennessee Valley for the end of July and early August along with muggy conditions.”

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Smoke from wildfires in West, Canada causes haze in Oak Ridge

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Haze obscures the mountains north of Oak Ridge in this view from Pine Ridge on Wednesday evening, July 21, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Smoke from enormous wildfires in the western United States and Canada is causing haze in Oak Ridge and across the eastern United States, and affecting air quality in many regions.

This map shows the locations of fires in the northwest United States and Canada, the smoke plume spreading across North America, and air quality indices. (Map by AirNow.gov via National Weather Service in Morristown)

On Thursday, CBS News reported that there are wildfires burning in 13 states, and 83 large fires have burned close to 1.3 million acres. The largest fire, the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, was burning more than 476 square miles, an area about the size of Los Angeles and three times the size of Detroit.

Smoke from the wildfires is blowing into Canada and then south around the Great Lakes and east to the East Coast, according to a map posted by AirNow.gov and shared by the National Weather Service in Morristown.

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Natural gas rates will rise, expected to drop when prices decline

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Natural gas rates will increase for Oak Ridge Utility District customers because of weather-related price increases and higher transportation costs. Rates are expected to decrease when weather-related spikes decline.

The rates will increase because there has been a rise in the price of natural gas related to the recent extreme weather, ORUD Director of Finance/Controller Robert DePriest said Friday.

Also, in January, there was an increase in the transportation costs that ORUD pays for the delivery of natural gas to its distribution system, DePriest said in a statement.

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Snow possible early Friday

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

A winter storm is expected in East Tennessee early Friday, and there is a chance of snow in Oak Ridge, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

Heavy wet snow is expected to develop in parts of East Tennessee early Friday morning. The forecast says heavy snow is most likely in the mountains.

“While temperatures are forecast to be above freezing across the valley, heavy wet snow is forecast to accumulate,” the National Weather Service said. “Forecasts across the valley still have considerable uncertainty, so continue to check back for the latest.” (Read more here.)

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