A wintry mix of rain, sleet, freezing rain and snow will move into the Chattanooga region Wednesday night into Thursday morning, making travel on area roads risky, according to the National Weather Service and our news partners at WRCB Channel 3.
Lows will be in the mid-'30s in the valley, but in the higher elevations temperatures could be below freezing which will cause slick conditions. The worst of the weather will be west of the Sequatchie Valley. There is the potential of 3 to 5 inches of snow on the Cumberland Plateau, but it could become mixed with sleet and freezing rain before changing over to rain on Thursday. A flash flood watch is also in effect for the Chattanooga region beginning tonight at 7 p.m. and continuing through 7 a.m. Friday morning, according to WRCB.
Most of the Chattanooga area will see rain showers gradually fade out by Thursday afternoon. Highs should be in the low 40's in the valley and in the mid to upper 30's higher up. Thursday night will see lows dropping into the upper 20's to near 30 overnight, according to WRCB.
The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook advisory for portions of East Tennessee, including Bledsoe, Bradley Rhea, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk and Sequatchie counties. Grundy County is under a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. Thursday. A winter storm warning is also in effect along the Cumberland Plateau, which will bear the brunt of the storm system.
The Chattanooga area experienced some of the coldest air of the season Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as lows drop to about 20 degrees in the city and into the teens in outlying areas, causing icy conditions on roads.
Hamilton County saw only light snow showers Tuesday, but frigid temperatures led to an icy Wednesday morning drive for many in the region. Other areas such as Cleveland and Monroe County experienced light snow. Snow accumulation was especially evident on secondary and untreated roads in Grundy County.
The threat of inclement weather triggered several school closings in the area Tuesday and some schools in the region made the decision to close Wednesday and Thursday.