Arctic air to send Chattanooga highs in 40s, lows in 20s later this week

photo Triad Electrical Contractors employee Patrick Duffey installs holiday snowflake lighting Monday high above the intersection at Fifth and Market streets.

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So long, 70s.

The temperatures that began the week in Chattanooga will be gone in no time, giving way to highs only in the 40s by Thursday.

Lows will be in the 20s.

Both are well below the 60s and 40s that are typical for November here, said meteorologist Shawn O'Neill with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn.

The cold snap will be generated by arctic air over western Canada that is sweeping eastward across the country, threatening to bury parts of the Upper Midwest in snow and send temperatures plunging as much as 40 degrees below average, the Associated Press reported.

Further north, the heaviest snow was expected to end today across the middle of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, with 12 inches or more forecast for parts of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The cold system will continue southeast to the Tennessee Valley by Wednesday, keeping highs in the 50s in Chattanooga and turning into showers and thunderstorms further south as it moves to the Gulf Coast, O'Neill said.

Expect a weekend with highs that likely won't climb out of the 40s, O'Neill said.

The air will be dry in the Tennessee Valley, though, so no snow is expected here other than possible flurries in the mountains on Sunday night.

Chattanooga Community Kitchen officials are eyeing the forecast to decide whether they will open their doors overnight to the homeless.

Jens Christensen, the community kitchen's executive director, said if the temperatures on Wednesday look like they will still dip down into the 20s, the nonprofit will open its cold weather shelter Thursday night.

"If it's as cold as they say it is, we will be open," he said.

Contact staff writer Joy Lukachick Smith at jlukachick@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.

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