WEATHERComplete weather forecast
Some drivers of recreational vehicles, sport utility vehicles and school buses could tip over in strong winds expected to hit later today if they're not careful, one meteorologist says.
"It's just basically slowing down and using due care even if you have to stop and continue," said Frank Ferrell, National Weather Service spokesman in Morristown, Tenn. "If the winds are really bad, you have to just wait them out."
A cold front is expected to hit the region tonight and will carry winds from the South. Winds will range from 40 to 60 mph and decrease on Wednesday afternoon, said Derek Eisentrout, a spokesman for the Weather Service in Morristown.
"People are probably more accustomed to 5- or 10-mph winds," he said.
Rain showers also are likely today, according to the Weather Service.
Gusts in the Chattanooga area are expected to hit about 40 by tonight and remain gusty until Wednesday afternoon.
Those speeds alone aren't strong enough to overturn vehicles unless they're lightweight, Ferrell said, but the wind when combined with high-profile vehicles turning curves at high speeds could cause flips.
WRCB-TV Channel 3 meteorologist Paul Barys said it's going to be breezy, but nothing huge, especially compared to what people are going to get up north, where a blizzard is expected to dump a couple of feet of snow on such cities as Chicago and Milwaukee.
A path of heavy ice and snow is predicted from the Rockies to New England.
In the Chattanooga area, instead of severe storms, it will be more of a high wind advisory, Barys said.
As the cold front moves in, temperatures also will drop from a high of 55 today to a high of 43 on Wednesday, according to WRCB, with temperatures falling into the mid-20s by Wednesday night.