Freezing temperatures are coming to the Chattanooga area this week.
The cold snap, which should set in Thursday, may bring some snowflakes to Hamilton County, said meteorologist Charles Dalton with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tennessee. But it's unlikely the area will get a true white Christmas.
"It's probably going to be less than half an inch," Dalton said by phone Monday. "There'll almost certainly be some flakes in the air."
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A cold front is set to move through the area quickly, likely starting late Thursday into Friday morning, Dalton said.
Forecasting shows Friday will probably be the coldest day this week, with lows around 8 degrees and highs around 20.
"Once it falls below freezing early Friday morning, you probably won't see temperatures rising back above freezing until Sunday afternoon," Dalton said. "You're looking at about 48 hours of sub-freezing temperatures, plenty of time to damage pipes and stuff like that."
Wind chill may make it feel more like 0 degrees in the Chattanooga area, Dalton said, and between -5 and -10 degrees overnight. Residents should expect winds of up to 30 to 40 miles per hour to the west of Chattanooga, gusting up to 30 mph in the city.
Though Sunday may bring slightly warmer temperatures for Christmas, Dalton said it likely won't be too far above freezing and will probably dip back down at night.
Temperatures are set to be around 20 to 30 degrees below normal for this time of year, according to National Weather Service forecasting.
"We're probably not setting records, you know, especially without any snowfall on the ground or substantial snowfall, but it's definitely cold nonetheless," Dalton said.
Residents should keep faucets slightly trickling once the freezing temperatures start, to avoid freezing pipes, according to a release from Tennessee American Water on Monday. Lines freeze most often in uninsulated places like crawl spaces and along outside walls.
You can also disconnect garden hoses and irrigation systems, and wrap unprotected pipes in insulation, fabric or newspaper to help keep them from freezing, the release said. If your pipes do freeze, know where your water shut-off valve is so you can turn it off as soon as possible, Tennessee American warns.
Next week, things should start to warm up by Tuesday, according to the weather service.
The freezing weather, and snow if it sticks around, may affect the rush of winter travel projected for this weekend.
Around 2.6 million Tennesseeans are expected to travel between Friday and the new year, according to a AAA estimate cited by the Tennessee Department of Transportation in a release Monday. Most of those will be driving, AAA predicted.
Dalton said the cold air "barrelling through" the area at the end of the week may mean what little snow falls could stick around.
"Anybody heading north (from Chattanooga) will run into it (snow)," Dalton said.
Even without snow, roads may be icy if temperatures drop enough on Friday to flash freeze any water on the roads, Local 3 News meteorologist Alison Pryor predicted on Monday.
Anyone planning to drive for the holiday should keep an emergency kit including blankets, bottled water and a first aid kit in the car, TDOT spokesperson Rae-Anne Bradley said by phone Monday. Before leaving, Bradley said, make sure your car is in good condition and fully charge your cellphone.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319. Follow her on Twitter @ellengerst.