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Cold air invades Chattanooga and the rest of the South, bringing below-freezing temperatures

Most plants have mechanisms to prevent them from freezing even when the thermometer drops below 32 degrees. Most plants have mechanisms to prevent them from freezing even when the thermometer drops below 32 degrees.

By Staff Reports, Associated Press January 21, 2020 2 min read

A blast of cold air this week is driving temperatures below freezing in many Southern states, including in Chattanooga.

On Tuesday, the chilly weather system brought temperatures down to the mid-20s in Atlanta, prompting city officials to open a warming shelter.

In the North Georgia mountains, the temperatures were even chillier: A U.S. Forest Service weather station near Brasstown Bald, the state’s highest peak, recorded a low temperature of 16 degrees early Tuesday morning.

Closer to home in Hamilton County, Tuesday’s high was around 36 degrees with Wednesday morning expected to start off in the mid-20s, according to WRCB-TV Channel 3.

In Alabama, Auburn was among the coldest spots in the state early Tuesday with a low temperature of 22 degrees just before dawn. The National Weather Service said it was 23 degrees in Birmingham and 24 in Huntsville as the sun was coming up. Below-freezing weather early Tuesday stretched all the way to Mobile, where the mercury dipped to 31 degrees.

FIVE-DAY FORECAST

In Mississippi, multiple shelters were opened in the capital city of Jackson, WJTV-TV reported.

A freeze warning Tuesday morning covered large parts of southern Mississippi and southeast Louisiana, where sub-freezing temperatures were common. The National Weather Service warned residents in those areas to take steps to prevent pipes from freezing such as wrapping them or allowing faucets to drip slowly.

A similar freeze warning was in place for parts of southeast Georgia and northern Florida early Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a light mix of wintry precipitation – including snow, sleet and rain – will be possible in southeast Oklahoma and western Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana. That should happen from early Wednesday morning through noon Wednesday, forecasters said.

Thursday is expected to be warmer in Chattanooga, with highs reaching mid- to upper 40s. Friday should be even warmer as temperatures rise to the 50s.