Chattanooga: Snowflakes fall; more possible but not likely

Chattanooga may have another chance at snow today, but residents are skeptical.

“I think we’re only accumulating tears from lack of snow in the Chattanooga valley,” East Brainerd resident Garrett Bartley said in a message on Twitter, a microblogging site.

Mr. Bartley hoped to get some snow for his birthday Saturday but was disappointed.

“We just got a little bit of sleet,” he said in a phone interview.

Snow flurries fell across the tri-state area Monday, with slight accumulations on Signal and Lookout mountains.

The chance of falling flakes continues today, with a 20 percent chance of snow showers before 1 p.m., according to Mike Propst, a meteorological technician with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn. The high today was forecast at 34 degrees.

Snowflakes have been few this season in the Chattanooga area, according to Weather Service data. The city has received only a trace of snowfall since Dec. 1, compared with 1.6 inches in the same time period last year and an average of 0.8 inch for the span.

But Mr. Propst said the lack of snow is not unusual.

“Quite often you don’t get any accumulation at all down there,” he said.

If the flakes don’t fall today, it may be awhile before they return with drier, warmer weather coming in.

“This our last shot for week or so,” Mr. Propst said.

Despite the frigid temperatures last week — when nighttime lows dropped into single digits — Mr. Propst said it actually was too cold to snow at times because colder air holds less moisture than warm air.

The snowiest place in Tennessee over the past 36 hours probably was Roan Mountain, southeast of Elizabethton, according to Mr. Propst.

Jacob Young, park ranger at Roan Mountain State Park, said there were 4 to 5 inches on the ground outside the ranger station, which sits about 3,000 feet above sea level.

Three thousand feet higher, on top of the mountain, the snow would pile even higher, he estimated.

“There’s going to be 8 to 10 inches up on top,” he said.