Oak Ridge Today

Snow possible Saturday night

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Road crews on Friday prepared roads for possible winter weather, including a potential snow, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. This picture was taken on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday afternoon, March 10. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Road crews on Friday prepared roads for possible winter weather, including a potential snow, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. This picture was taken on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday afternoon, March 10. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

On Friday, crews prepared roads for possible winter weather this weekend in Oak Ridge and East Tennessee, potentially including snow on Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said winter will return this weekend with snowfall expected Saturday night across most of the region. Snow accumulations of one to three inches are possible across the Tennessee Valley and Cumberland Plateau, and three to six inches are possible in the Great Smoky Mountains. [Read more…]

Main roads clear, but few snowy spots remain on side streets

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Roads in Oak Ridge were mostly clear after snow on Friday night and Saturday morning, Jan. 6 and 7, 2017, but a few snowy spots remained. Pictured above is Orange Lane in north Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Main roads in Oak Ridge were mostly clear after a snowstorm on Friday night and Saturday morning, but a few snowy spots remained on side streets.

Main streets such as Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue appeared to be completely clear. Heavily traveled secondary roads such as Tennessee Avenue, New York Avenue, Georgia Avenue, Rutgers Avenue, and Outer Drive appeared to be mostly or completely clear. The few snow-covered spots appeared to be mostly on side streets that aren’t as heavily traveled, such as Orange Lane and Orchard Lane in north Oak Ridge.

Much of the snow that fell Friday night and Saturday morning appeared to have melted, including on the hillside next to Blankenship Field that is often used for sledding after snow falls.

The National Weather Service isn’t forecasting any more snow until Tuesday, when there is a slight chance of rain and showers. [Read more…]

Roads slippery as more snow falls; NWS advises against travel

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More snow fell in Oak Ridge on Friday night, and parts of many roads, including Pellissippi Parkway going into Knox County, were slippery. Pictured above is South Illinois Avenue at Weigel’s gas station and convenience center just before midnight on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

More snow fell in Oak Ridge on Friday night, and parts of many roads, including Pellissippi Parkway going into Knox County, were snow-covered and slippery.

Before midnight Friday, sections of roadway were clear on Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue in central Oak Ridge, but many side streets, including heavily traveled roads like Tennessee Avenue and New York Avenue, were covered by a layer of snow. Other snow-covered roads included Tulane and Rutgers avenues, and Providence and Robertsville roads.

The National Weather Service in Morristown advised people to stay off the roads, unless travel is absolutely necessary. [Read more…]

Weather cancellations, closings at schools, sporting events

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Snow was falling in Oak Ridge at noon Friday, and more was expected through Saturday morning. Schools and government offices have announced closures and early dismissals, and sporting events have been canceled.

Oak Ridge Schools said it has staff closely monitoring the weather and the roads. If a decision is made to dismiss early, a notification will be posted on Twitter and through Skylert.

The Oak Ridge-Halls basketball games scheduled for Friday night at Wildcat Arena have been canceled and rescheduled for Monday, January 23. [Read more…]

Updated: Few inches of snow possible through Saturday, NWS says

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Snow will move into the area later Friday evening and night (Jan. 6, 2017), and this map shows the current forecasted snowfall totals expected. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia. With surface temperatures below freezing, snow will accumulate on untreated roads. This may result in in negative travel impacts to motorists. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 a.m. Jan. 6.

A few inches of snow are possible in the Knoxville area from Thursday through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

The potential snowfall ranges from 1.7 inches in Norris to 3.0 inches in Knoxville from Friday to Saturday morning, the NWS said.

The forecast calls for a possible 2.2 inches in Kingston, 1.6 inches in Wartburg, 3.7 inches in Maryville, and 5 inches in Gatlinburg.

A winter weather advisory was in effect from 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday.

Then, a winter storm watch is in effect from 1 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday. [Read more…]

Fast-moving weather system could bring snow to East Tennessee

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

A fast moving clipper will push across the southern Appalachian region late this afternoon through Friday morning. Rain showers will change to snow across Southwest Virginia this evening and snow showers will continue to spread across the area overnight. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia where 1 to 3 inches are possible. Elsewhere, up to 1 inch of snow is expected across valley locations, before tapering off around sunrise Friday morning. With surface temperatures below freezing, snow will accumulate on untreated roads. This may result in in negative travel impacts to motorists, especially during the Friday morning commute. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m.

A fast-moving weather system could bring snow to East Tennessee as it pushes across the southern Appalachian region late Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, forecasters said.

Rain showers will change to snow across Southwest Virginia on Thursday evening, and snow showers will continue to spread across the area overnight, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. Snowfall accumulations will be greatest along the Northern Plateau of East Tennessee and the Cumberland mountains of Southwest Virginia, where one to three inches are possible.

Elsewhere, up to one inch of snow is expected across valley locations, before tapering off around sunrise Friday morning. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools on two-hour delay Monday

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Oak Ridge Schools will be on a two-hour delay on Monday, February 15, officials said.

Snow and treacherous roads were reported in parts of East Tennessee on Sunday. Oak Ridge had a light dusting of snow, but there are reports of a potential for ice in East Tennessee on Monday morning.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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No major problems reported after snow Friday; Key Springs Road temporarily closed

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The Edgemoor Road exit ramp off South Illinois Avenue is pictured above after snow fell on Friday morning, Feb. 12, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Authorities reported no major problems when snow fell in Oak Ridge and Anderson County on Friday morning, although some area school districts closed.

Key Springs Road in north Oak Ridge was temporarily closed at the request of the Oak Ridge Police Department after a tractor-trailer got stuck coming up the steep, curvy road.

It wasn’t necessarily weather-related, and it wasn’t clear how long the road would be closed, said Pat Fallon, Oak Ridge Public Works division manager.

Four trucks with snow plows were out clearing roads and spreading salt. No problems had been reported for at least an hour, Fallon said at about noon Friday. [Read more…]

Most significant issue during snow last week was traffic jam on I-75

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Roads in Oak Ridge are becoming slipperier as snow continues to accumulate. Above, an Oak Ridge snow plow is pictured at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Administration Road on Wednesday morning, Jan. 20, 2016. Heavy snow continued to fall more than 1.5 hours later. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The most significant issue during the snow and winter weather last week was the closure of Interstate 75 in Campbell County, which caused a long traffic jam on Wednesday, January 20, authorities said.

Traffic was very light Friday evening when the snow started again as most everyone stayed home, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

“As an update on our weather-related calls, from Wednesday, January 20, through Sunday, January 24, we responded to 18 non-injury traffic crashes, two crashes with injury, 12 disabled or abandoned vehicles, and five calls where there were some traffic hazards,” Lucas said. “There were a number of cars in the ditch or that ran off the road where we did not respond due to weather conditions.” [Read more…]

Winter storm warning in effect through Saturday evening

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:25 p.m.

Rain turned into occasional snow in Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon as a winter storm warning remained in effect, and the National Weather Service in Morristown said there is a 100 percent chance of precipitation on Friday night, with new snow accumulation of two to four inches possible.

Snow will continue to be likely Saturday morning, mainly before 11 a.m., the NWS said.

The low tonight is forecast at 26 degrees Fahrenheit, and the high tomorrow is expected to be 31. The new snow accumulation on Saturday is expected to be less than half of an inch.

The winter storm warning remains in effect through 7 p.m. Saturday. It’s part of a large, strong Winter Storm Jonas that’s affecting a large part of the eastern United States, including Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge schools open Friday; Clinton, Anderson schools closed

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Note: This story was last updated at 12:25 a.m.

Oak Ridge Schools will have a regular school day on Friday, January 22, and will start on time, officials said.

Schools in the Clinton and Anderson County districts remain closed for a third day.

Roane County Schools announced that, as of Thursday evening, they planned to be open Friday.

After being closed two days, Anderson County government offices will be open on Friday. [Read more…]

Winter storm warning issued; 3 to 5 inches of snow possible

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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.) [Read more…]