The threat of wintry weather caused some schools in the Tennessee Valley to close early on Tuesday. Temperatures Wednesday morning will be below freezing and will remain in the 40s throughout the day.
Hamilton County Schools announced that school starts would be delayed two hours on Wednesday morning because of the forecast of snow and sleet overnight. School-age child care will open on the normal schedule. School district personnel will continue to assess road conditions this evening and in the morning and an updated announcement will be made in the morning if conditions require additional action.
As of Tuesday afternoon, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) had not anticipated delays or cancellations for Wednesday.
According to WRCB, Bradley County and Cleveland City schools would be closed Wednesday, along with Athens, Dayton, Etowah and Sweetwater city schools, and Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie and Van Buren county schools. Several area schools delayed opening Wednesday.
"As always when snow or ice are in the forecast, we will begin the weather watch process this afternoon," said Tim Hensley, spokesperson for Hamilton County Schools, in an email. "We will watch to see what happens with the weather and look for changes or updates in the forecast. Of course, we will also consult with our public safety officials overnight to see how area roads may be impacted tomorrow morning."
Though outlying school districts decided to dismiss classes early on Tuesday, Hamilton County Schools did not dismiss early, Hensley added.
A UTC spokesperson in an email said that the university had not had any discussions about cancelling class Tuesday or Wednesday yet.
"The decision to close is based on travel safety issues and how those will affect students, faculty and staff coming to campus. This is finals week and exam schedules are winding down, so that significantly reduces the number of people on campus," the spokesperson said in an email.