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David Gaffin
Spring and unpredictable are synonymous in Southeast Tennessee, and perhaps no more so than during the first two weeks of March.
After a mild and sunny Thursday, meteorologists say an approaching low-pressure system could cause radical changes beginning today and continuing into the middle of next week.
“Early December and early March are the two wild cards in weather prediction,” WTVC NewsChannel 9 chief meteorologist David Glenn said. “The first 15 days of March are typically a roller coaster.”
Today’s forecast calls for cooler temperatures accompanied by precipitation, possibly changing to snow flurries tonight, with below-normal temperatures until the middle of next week.
Meteorologists agree that accumulation is possible in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Cumberland Plateau and briefly at some higher elevations in the Chattanooga area.
While saying there are chances that everyone in the tri-state area will see some snowflakes, Mr. Glenn said, “The bigger story is the cold. Saturday will be as cold as any winter day has been this year.”
Normal temperatures for March 2-8 in Chattanooga have daily highs that range from 58 degrees to 60 degrees and daily lows between 36 degrees and 38 degrees, according to National Weather Service records. Those same records, that date from 1879, show record highs for these dates from 79 degrees to 82 degrees and record lows that range from 2 degrees to 15 degrees.
The next few days will not approach those extremes but will serve as a reminder that the weather service recognizes March through May as spring for record-keeping purposes, even though this year’s spring equinox occurs March 20.
“We start getting moisture in the area this time of year,” said David Gaffin, a meteorologist with the weather service in Morristown, Tenn. “If it is cold enough, there is a chance for snow, but not this time.”
The Chattanooga area will experience mostly rain tonight and Saturday, Mr. Gaffin said, but if it does snow, the ground is too warm for accumulation.
The National Climate Predication Center is calling for a warmer- and wetter-than-normal March, Mr. Gaffin said, adding this is welcome as the drought continues throughout the Southeast.
Mr. Glenn said that even though Chattanooga has a year-to-date rainfall deficit of about 2 inches, “we are 4 inches ahead of the pace for rainfall at this time last year.”
On the Web:
Information from the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn. can be found at www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx
