Oak Ridge Today

Fire conditions worsen in East Tennessee, two firefighters slightly injured

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Lower humidity and gusty winds at higher elevations mean fire conditions have worsened in East Tennessee, state firefighters said Sunday.

Two firefighters were slightly injured battling blazes in Campbell County on Saturday, said Nathan M. Waters, Tennessee Forestry Division assistant district forester.

State and local firefighters have responded to 16 new fires since Thanksgiving Day across upper East Tennessee, including in Anderson, Campbell, Knox, Morgan, Scott, Sevier, and Union counties. The fires have burned hundreds of acres, and many of them are suspected arsons.

Waters said forestry crews would recheck fires in Anderson, Scott, and Campbell counties, including one on Walden Ridge that broke out again on Saturday and one on a mountaintop west of Briceville on Highway 116, also known as New River Highway. The Walden Ridge breakout was contained, and “crews will be improving lines today,” Waters said.

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Kentucky earthquake shakes homes in East Tennessee

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Kentucky Earthquake

A 4.3-magnitude earthquake west of Whitesburg, Ky., early Saturday afternoon rattled homes from Cincinnati to Atlanta. There were no initial reports of major injuries or damage. Whitesburg is northwest of Johnson City. (Image courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey)

An earthquake that measured 4.3 on the Richter Scale struck west of Whitesburg, Ky., at 12:08 p.m. Saturday, shaking homes from Cincinnati to Atlanta, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter was in southeastern Kentucky about 96 miles north-northeast of Knoxville, USGS Geophysicist Paul Caruso said. He wasn’t sure how long it lasted.

Caruso said a 4.3-magnitude earthquake could cause chandeliers to swing and books to fall off shelves near the epicenter, but he wouldn’t expect any major casualties or major damage. They generally occur in quakes with a magnitude of 5.5 or greater, Caruso said.

Caruso said the earthquake was at a shallow depth of about one mile underground.

People in and around Oak Ridge and Knoxville immediately began posting about the quake on social media early Saturday afternoon, but it’s not clear if it caused any damage in East Tennessee.

About an hour after the earthquake, Lt. Ken Sexton of the Whitesburg Fire Department said the department had had no reports of damages or injuries so far. But buildings shook, and people were scared, Sexton said.

The quake was about eight miles west of Whitesburg, which is northwest of Johnson City. It’s mountainous coal mining country, Sexton said.

Caruso said it’s not possible to predict if and when there might be aftershocks, but they are always smaller than the earthquakes themselves. The USGS reported one 2.5-magnitude aftershock at 1:37 p.m. about 10 miles southeast of Hazard, Ky.

The USGS says earthquakes do not occur frequently in most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, but they are typically felt over a much larger region than they are in the West.

For more information and a map of the epicenter, see the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake page at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000dqhx#summary.

Note: This story was last updated at 7:48 p.m.

Hurricane Sandy brings snow, cold air

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Winter Storm Warning

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for southwest Virginia and the East Tennessee mountains through 8 a.m. Wednesday. (Image courtesy of the National Weather Service)

Snow has already fallen in the Great Smoky Mountains, and temperatures in Oak Ridge and Anderson County are expected to dip into the low- to mid-30s through Friday as Hurricane Sandy moves into the mid-Atlantic and brings cold air to the Southern Appalachians, the National Weather Service said Monday.

The NWS said Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall along the central New Jersey coast later this evening or tonight, and produce a life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-strength winds, and heavy snowfall in the Appalachian Mountains.

Forecasters have issued a winter storm warning for southwest Virginia and the East Tennessee mountains through 8 a.m. Wednesday. A winter weather advisory is in effect for parts of northeast Tennessee from 8 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Several flights from McGhee Tyson Airport to the northeastern United States have been delayed or canceled today due to the storm.

“This is expected to be the first of many flights inpacted by Hurricane Sandy over the next few days,” the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority said on its website.

National Weather Service forecasters said blizzard conditions are possible at elevations above 3,000 feet in East Tennessee.

The seven-day forecast for Anderson County said rain or snow showers are possible tonight and Tuesday.

The National Weather Service said the heavy snowfall is expected to be dependent upon elevation, with no snowfall or light accumulations in most valleys.

The airport authority said most airlines are waiving flight change fees if passengers rebook by Nov. 4, but each airline is slightly different in this policy “so visit your airline’s site for more specific information.”

Pictures from last week’s hail storm

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Hail on Deck

Large hail falls onto a deck in Oak Ridge on Aug. 1. (Photos by Donato DiGregorio)

An afternoon storm that lashed Oak Ridge on Aug. 1 pounded parts of the city with one-inch-diameter hail.

Meteorologist Jessica Winton said the National Weather Service in Morristown received many reports of hail as big as a quarter, which is “kind of average” over East Tennessee.

Winton said the Weather Service received reports of a few trees down in Farragut from the storm, and one large tree down on the north side of Oak Ridge.

Winds gusted up to 43 mph in Oak Ridge during the storm.

Hail on Grass

Hail peppers parts of Oak Ridge during an Aug. 1 storm.

Oak Ridge School Board member Dan DiGregorio took pictures of the hail on his deck and in his yard.

Electric Department: Power restored in Oak Ridge

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Oak Ridge Electric Department Crew

An Oak Ridge Electric Department crew works late into the night after a violent storm Thursday. Above from right are ORED Crew Chief Aaron England, lineman Tom Lance, and apprentice lineman Mike Goodpasture.

All power has been restored, the Oak Ridge Electric Department reported about midnight Thursday, roughly six hours after violent storms roared through East Tennessee, causing widespread damage and power outages, and trapping visitors in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In Oak Ridge, the city staff reported outages in Rarity Ridge and on Berwick Drive, Bear Creek and Berea roads, Warwick and Hoyt lanes, and Andover, Iris, and East Wadsworth circles.

Residents reported outages in other locations from West Outer Drive and Montana Avenue to Grove Center and Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Officials in the Oak Ridge Electric Department said they didn’t know how many customers lost power Thursday.

But a few hours after the storm, by 10:30 p.m., the Electric Department reported that only a few scattered small outages remained, and most, if not all of those, were due to fallen trees or branches.

Woodland Storm Damage

Oak Ridge Electric Department crews had to remove a tree limb that had fallen into power lines on South Purdue Avenue.

In Woodland around midnight, a three-man crew cut down a Bradford Pear tree limb that had fallen into a power line on South Purdue Avenue. Crew members had been working non-stop since about 6 p.m., when the ferocious storms blew south from the Ohio River Valley, bringing 70-mph winds and knocking out power to tens of thousands of customers in East Tennessee.

The city provided updates during the storm on Twitter. That Twitter feed is available at https://twitter.com/#!/corelectricdept.

Meanwhile, officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park confirmed that two people died during the storms.

 

Dangerous thunderstorms moving through East Tennessee

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The National Weather Service in Morristown has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for several counties in East Tennessee, including Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties.

The warning remains in effect until 6:45 p.m. The storms are capable of producing quarter size hail and destructive winds with speeds that could exceed 70 mph.

Parts of Oak Ridge lost power Thursday evening, including an area around Oak Ridge Turnpike and Robertsville Road.

The National Weather Service said thunderstorms moving south from the Ohio River Valley this afternoon could produce damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and frequent lightning.

A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. for southwest North Carolina and East Tennessee.

Record high temperatures forecast through Monday

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Heat Wave Map

A dangerous heat wave with record high temperatures is expected in East Tennessee through Monday. (Illustration courtesy of the National Weather Service in Morristown.)

A dangerous heat wave is expected to affect the Southern Appalachia region through early next week, with record high temperatures at or above 100-year marks, and oppressive heat indices up to 105 degrees, the National Weather Service said.

The temperature in Oak Ridge at about 5 p.m. Saturday was 104, and a heat advisory remains in effect through 9 p.m. Sunday in Anderson County.

Temperatures could continue to be close to 100 on Sunday and Monday, before dropping to 94 on Tuesday, according to a forecast by the National Weather Service in Morristown.

A strong high-pressure system and mostly dry conditions have led to record temperatures and dangerous heat, the Weather Service said.

Heat index values—a measure of how it actually feels—will be slightly higher than actual high temperatures. Afternoon heat index values could be as high as 107 in East Tennessee.

“Please consider reducing or eliminating strenuous outdoor activities during the heat of the day (late morning through the early evening) and remember to drink plenty of water,” the Weather Service said.

Heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer.

Weather officials said heat illnesses are possible, and people should take extra precautions if they work or spend time outside. Those precautions include rescheduling strenuous activities to early morning or evening, and knowing the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke.

The Weather Service also advised wearing lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when possible.

Those working outside should schedule frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded place, and 911 should be called if someone has a heat stroke, the Weather Service said.

Cable news television station CNN reported that the heat wave affected 100 million people across the country, and more than 1,000 temperature records have been broken this week.