Closings
* Athens City Schools * Avondale Seventh-day Adventist School * Bachman Academy * Baylor School * Belvoir Christian Academy * Bradley County Schools * Bright School * Calhoun City Schools * Calvary Christian School * Catoosa County Schools * Chattanooga Christian School * Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy * Chattanooga State Community College * Chickamauga City Schools * Cleveland City Schools * Cleveland State * Company Lab has rescheduled Pitch Night for Jan. 27 * Dalton Public Schools * Dade County Schools * Dayton City School * Etowah City School * Fannin County Schools * Girls Preparatory School * Grundy County Schools * Hamilton County Schools * Marion County Schools * The McCallie School * McMinn County Schools * Meigs County Schools * Murray County Schools * Orange Grove Center buses will not run * Polk County Schools * Rhea County Schools * Richard Hardy School * Sequatchie County Schools * Silverdale Baptist Academy * Siskin Children's Institute * Walker County Schools * Walker County Transit* Whitfield County Schools* UTC
Seven-day forecast
See a full forecast here.
Forecasters say that the first snowfall of the year is expected to sweep in early tomorrow with 1-2 inches of snow expected across the area followed by freezing rain in the afternoon.
According to an alert put out by the National Weather Service, a winter weather advisory has been put in effect from 4 a.m. EST to 10 p.m.
Jessica Winton, a meteorologist for the NWS in Morriston, TN, said the majority of snowfall is expected to come in the morning when the temperature is an estimated 24 degrees Fahrenheit.
That has led several school systems to cancel school Wednesday, including schools across Bradley, Catoosa, Dade, Fannin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Murray, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Walker and Whitfield counties. Avondale Seventh-day Adventist, Bachman Academy, Baylor, Belvoir Christian Academy, Bright School, Calvary Christian, Chattanooga Christian, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, Chattanooga State Community College, Cleveland State, Dalton Public Schools, GPS, McCallie, Richard Hardy, Silverdale Baptist Academy, Siskin Children's Institute, UTC and Athens, Calhoun, Chickamauga, Cleveland, Dayton and Etowah city schools also will be closed. Orange Grove Center buses will not run Wednesday. Company Lab has rescheduled Pitch Night for Jan. 27 and Walker County Transit will not run.
The temperature should warm up naturally throughout the day, Winton said, hovering at or just above freezing with a potential high of 36 degrees. By tomorrow night, it is expected to be approximately 34 degrees and Winton said it shouldn't drop much lower over the course of the night.
Though Winton did say that some of the models the NWS is currently using typically indicate that the weather is going to be slightly warmer than it actually will be.
"The models are trying to say that it's going to be above freezing in the afternoon, but some of that is based in low confidence," she said.
Some higher elevations may see up to three inches of snow with a small chance of light snow continuing into the night.
Winton said that those more mountainous areas will likely be slightly colder than everywhere else and residents should be aware of potentially hazardous conditions if temperatures get below freezing and ice forms overnight.
Since the majority of winter weather is expected in the morning, Winton said that commuters should be careful in the afternoon and pay attention to current conditions.
Untreated roads could be a problem, but the Tennessee Department of Transportation said that responders are prepared for a mix of winter weather tomorrow and that all 95 counties are stocked with salt, snow plows, and brine trucks to clear roads of snow and ice.
Whatever snow or ice is left over on Thursday should melt fairly easily as the temperature moves up to an expected high of 46 or 47 that afternoon, but there is the potential for more snow on Friday night.
Winton said that it should be cold enough for snow by midnight on Friday and that Saturday could be cold enough for snowfall all day.