Wet weather snarls weekend traffic, threatens minor flooding

Scott Wilson waits to cross Market Street at Eighth Street as he walks in the rain Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Scott Wilson waits to cross Market Street at Eighth Street as he walks in the rain Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

More rain fell in Chattanooga on Sunday than on any other Nov. 29 since 1914.

The 1.7 inches of rain that drenched highways for holiday travelers and broke a 101-year record for daily rainfall may have also worsened the city's Thanksgiving weekend traffic jams - and meteorologists say the rain isn't stopping anytime soon.

Dangerous highways

The Tennessee Highway Patrol worked 87 wrecks in a 12-county area between Wednesday and Sunday.68 property damage crashes9 involving deer2 involving driving under the influence5 involving commercial motor vehicles19 wrecks with injuriesSource: Tennessee Highway Patrol

Hamilton traffic accidents for 2015

January: 963February: 923March: 1,010April: 1,063May: 1,047June: 1,028July: 1,013August: 1,029September: 1,026Total as of September: 9,102Source: Tennesseee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

Rain is expected to continue falling all day today and into Wednesday, kicking off a December that meteorologists expect to be warmer and wetter than normal, said Jessica Winton, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch Monday for most of East Tennessee - including Hamilton County - and warned the steady rainfall could flood small streams and roads in low-lying areas.

"With the rain that has been falling, it hasn't been a lot at one time, but it is enough that we want everybody to pay attention," Winton said.

Most major rivers are not expected to flood, she said, but minor flooding could occur in areas with poor drainage or around small tributaries.

Chattanooga Police Lt. David Gibb urged drivers to leave extra travel time during the rainy spell.

"If you see standing water on the road, do not drive through it," he said, and suggested that motorist slow to five or 10 mph below the speed limit while heavy rain is falling.

Don Lindsey, the Tennessee public affairs director at the American Automobile Association, offered a few driving tips of his own, such as using headlights in the rain and making sure windshield wipers are in good working order.

"With rain, the first thing that is affected, frequently, is not necessarily the roads, but visibility," Lindsey said. "We cannot see as far and we cannot see as clearly. So right away we need to think about slowing down."

Traffic did slow to a crawl in Chattanooga this weekend - some holiday travelers sat in stopped traffic on Interstate 75 for hours on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, a multi-vehicle crash around Exit 1 on I-75 north around 11:30 a.m. backed up traffic from the I-75 split down to Ringgold, Ga., said Jennifer Flynn, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. TDOT officials posted alerts about the congestion on the interstate's digital signs, warning motorists to expect "long delays."

Hamilton County emergency responders were called to 212 traffic accidents in Hamilton County on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to the Hamilton County 911 Center. Thirty-one of those crashes involved injuries.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to 87 crashes in the 12-county region around Chattanooga between Wednesday and Sunday, Lt. John Harmon said, and 19 of those included injuries.

Water Works

And as the rain continues to fall today and Wednesday, Tennessee Valley Authority is attempting to limit possible flooding in low-lying areas by holding back water in its upstream reservoirs and spilling water through most of the dams it controls on the Tennessee River.

TVA spokesman Travis Brickey said the heavy rains of nearly two inches Sunday and Monday could lift lake levels at reservoirs like Norris, Fontana or Douglas by up to 15 feet.

So far this year, TVA's rainfall in the watershed above Chattanooga is 6 percent above normal, or 48.25 inches.

Since Oct. 1, rainfall in the region has totaled 9.14 inches, which is 43 percent above normal.

"It's been a very wet fall," Brickey said.

If there's one plus to all the extra water for TVA and its customers, it's that it will boost hydropower generation - one of the least expensive ways of producing electricity.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Business editor Dave Flessner contributed to this report.

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