Oak Ridge Schools will be closed again on Wednesday due to the winter weather.
The school system had been closed Tuesday as well due to the weather.
[Read more…]Schools closed Wednesday
Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
Oak Ridge crews are working to clear roads and repair water line breaks.
The Oak Ridge Public Works Department worked through the night to clear main roads, according to the city government. Melton Lake Drive and South Illinois Avenue are back open.
The department will begin to plow side streets once main roads are good for driving, the city said.
“While every city street was brined or treated before the storm, it was no match for this amount of snow combined with continued low temperatures,” the city said.
[Read more…]AC Courthouse, trash convenience centers closed
The Anderson County Courthouse is closed Tuesday due to winter weather.
Anderson County was under a winter storm warning until Tuesday morning, with more snow expected Monday night, a press release said. With lows tonight expected to be 14 degrees Monday night, and a high on Tuesday expected at 25 degrees, “the snow and ice will create unsafe for conditions for citizens and county employees,” the press release said.
[Read more…]ORNL, city offices & facilities closed Tuesday
City of Oak Ridge offices and facilities and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be closed Tuesday due to winter weather.
The city said only essential employees are expected to report to work. The Oak Ridge City Council work session scheduled for Tuesday will be postponed and a new date published later.
[Read more…]Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow
Roads, schools, and businesses closed as snow fell for hours in Oak Ridge. The snow began about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and snow continued to fall at about 6 p.m. Monday.
Oak Ridge Today measured almost seven inches of snow at about 5 p.m. Monday. The National Weather Service in Morristown had forecast between four to six and six to eight inches of snow in the Oak Ridge and Clinton areas.
“Very cold air is moving in across the region with sub-freezing temperatures continuing through Thursday,” the National Weather Service said. “Temperatures Tuesday night will be around zero!”
Roads, even main streets like Oak Ridge Turnpike, had a thick layer of snow on them, with a wet, slippery surface underneath. Traffic was light when normally it would be heavy, and most drivers drove slowly and cautiously, with some turning on their hazard lights.
“With significant snow accumulations across much of the area and very cold temperatures, hazardous travel conditions may develop,” the NWS said. “Avoid travel, but if you must, use caution.”
[Read more…]NWS: Temps above normal in 2022, but record cold Christmas Eve
The average temperatures in 2022 were above the normal temperatures in East Tennessee, but there were record cold temperatures reported on Christmas Eve, the National Weather Service said.
The number of cold hours around Christmas in late December might have seemed long, but it was not a record-breaker, the NWS said.
“The arctic front that ushered in this outbreak of cold weather moved through during the early morning hours on December 23,” the NWS said. Between then and the end of the cold streak, several locations recorded more than 100 consecutive hours at or below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Wise, a city in southwest Virginia north of Tennessee’s Tri-Cities, reported 107 hours below freezing, the NWS said. That’s equivalent to about 4.5 days. Oak Ridge was below freezing for 106 hours and Knoxville for 104 hours, both also close to 4.5 days.
[Read more…]Temps could stay below freezing through Christmas
Temperatures could stay below freezing through Christmas, and a wind chill warning remains in effect for Oak Ridge through early Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The wind chill warning expires at 1 p.m. Saturday. The NWS forecast said wind chill values could range between -3 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds of between 5 and 10 miles per hour. Scattered snow flurries are possible between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday.
The high Saturday is forecast near 22. The low Saturday night is forecast at 12.
[Read more…]NWS: Dangerous wind chills possible
Dangerous wind chills are possible from Thursday to Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The temperature could drop to 11 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday night, 5 degrees on Friday night, and 9 degrees on Saturday night, according to the NWS forecast for Oak Ridge.
And there could be wind gusts of up to 20-30 miles per hour between Thursday night and Saturday, the Oak Ridge forecast said, making the outside air temperature feel even colder.
Wind chills in the area between Knoxville and Kingston could range between -10 and -12 from Friday morning to mid-Saturday, the NWS said.
[Read more…]Snow falls in Oak Ridge
More than an inch of snow fell in Oak Ridge on Sunday.
The snow started falling at about 1 p.m. Sunday and continued until about 9. Oak Ridge Today measured close to 1.5 inches of snow in central Oak Ridge.
Some side streets were still snow covered at about 10 p.m. Sunday, but heavily traveled roads and main roads such as South Illinois Avenue were mostly clear except for some slush. That raised the possibility that some surfaces might freeze overnight with the low forecast around 26 degrees Fahrenheit.
There is a 40% chance of snow in the Oak Ridge area before 2 a.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.
[Read more…]NWS issues winter storm warning
A winter storm warning is in effect for Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, and Scott counties.
The National Weather Service in Morristown issued the winter storm warning Sunday morning, and it is in effect through Monday morning.
Heavy snow is expected, with between 1 to 5 inches of snow possible and 6 to 9 inches at the highest elevations.
“Travel could be very difficult,” the NWS said. “The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.”
You can get the latest road conditions by calling 511. “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” the NWS said.
The Oak Ridge forecast calls for rain before noon, then rain and snow between noon and 4 p.m., with snow after 4 p.m. The temperature will fall to around 32 degrees Fahrenheit by 4 p.m., the NWS said. The chance of precipitation is 90%. Close to an inch of snow is possible, forecasters said.
[Read more…]Chance of snow, cold weather on Sunday
There is a chance of snow and cold, below-freezing temperatures on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The NWS has published several snowfall forecasts, based upon different probabilities.
The official NWS forecast shows less than an inch of snow is possible in the Oak Ridge area.
More snow, greater than 4 inches, is possible in areas north of Oak Ridge, such as Sunbright, Oneida, and Tazewell.
Here is the NWS forecast for Oak Ridge:
[Read more…]Centennial Golf Course to remain closed Saturday
The Centennial Golf Course and range will remain closed on Saturday due to snow and ice.
Course crews will reassess conditions on Saturday to determine if there is a possibility of opening on Sunday for regular hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a press release said.
[Read more…]