Oak Ridge Today

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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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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Snow likely this afternoon, evening

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Snow is likely in the Oak Ridge area starting late this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

The forecast called for rain before 3 p.m. Rain mixed with snow are likely between 3 and 4 p.m., and snow is likely after 4 p.m., the National Weather Service said. A total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch is possible.

There is a chance of snow before 7 p.m. Christmas Eve, then a chance of snow showers, mainly between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. Christmas Day, the Weather Service said.

The high today (Thursday, December 24) was forecast at 49. Tonight is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. The chance of precipitation tonight is 40 percent.

It was raining in Oak Ridge mid-afternoon Thursday, and the rain was mixed with snow starting at 3 p.m.

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First snow in Oak Ridge

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A light layer of snow, measured at about one-half inch or less, is pictured above at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Snow fell in Oak Ridge starting Monday afternoon and continuing Tuesday morning, leaving a thin layer of snow on grass, cars, and homes.

Oak Ridge Today measured a maximum of one-half inch of snow at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The National Weather Service in Morristown forecast that Tuesday would be mostly cloudy near Clinton, gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 38. Tuesday night could be mostly clear, with a low around 22.

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Snow fell in Oak Ridge on Thursday

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Snow falls in Oak Ridge outside the Joe L. Evins Federal Building on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Snow fell in Oak Ridge on Thursday morning, and the snow briefly accumulated before melting in the afternoon.

The snow and winter weather did not affect Oak Ridge Schools, but it did affect other school districts.

Anderson County Schools dismissed early Thursday and will be closed Friday due to the threat of ice and road conditions that could get worse. Two buses, Bus 48 and Bus 50, were unable to continue their routes past Briceville Elementary School on Thursday afternoon, and students were picked up from the building.

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Snow likely in region today

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Rain and snow are possible in the region today, including parts of East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, but in Oak Ridge, little or no snow is expected to accumulate, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

“Still a good bet that most people will still see snow in the air today,” the NWS said at about 5 a.m. Thursday.

Significant accumulations are likely only in higher areas, with three to five inches near the Great Smoky Mountains, two to three inches elsewhere in the Tennessee mountains, and a half inch or less most likely in the Tennessee Valley, the NWS said.

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Main road through Oliver Springs closed due to flooding

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East Tri County Boulevard was closed near Mahoney Road and Midway Drive in Oliver Springs as floodwater from Poplar Creek flowed over the four-lane road Thursday morning, Feb. 6, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 8:20 a.m. Feb. 7.

Note: The Oliver Springs Police Department reported at 7:12 p.m. Thursday that East Tri County Boulevard and Windrock Road had re-opened.

OLIVER SPRINGS—The main road through Oliver Springs was closed due to flooding Thursday morning.

Floodwaters were flowing over all four lanes of East Tri County Boulevard near Midway Drive before 11 a.m. Thursday, and the Oliver Springs Police Department was redirecting traffic down Mahoney Road.

Midway Drive, which veers off from Tri County Boulevard, was submerged under water from Poplar Creek.

The Oliver Springs Police Department reported at about 11 a.m. Thursday that the city was impassable, and Mahoney Road, which heads west out of the city, is now closed due to flooding.

“You will now have to come downtown and go out Dutch Valley or go around via Oak Ridge and Harriman,” the OSPD said. “If you do not know these areas well, please stay in until the flood levels are down and roads opened.”

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