HAVE SOME FUN INSIDE1. Even though the Super Bowl is a month away, there's plenty of football to watch this weekend with the wild-card round of the NFL Playoffs.2. If you feel like getting out of the house but still want to stay warm, you can go see a movie at a local theater. If you prefer staying in, bring the theater to your home and rent a movie.3. Bake sweet treats, such as cookies or a cake, and make hot chocolate.4. Grab the board games that have been collecting dust in the closet and have a game night.5. Make a fire and curl up with your favorite book.FUN THINGS TO DO OUTSIDE1. It's never a drag to walk around Rock City, even in single-digit Lookout Mountain cold.2. Hop aboard the Tennessee Aquarium's River Gorge Explorer and take pictures of birds headed for warmer weather.3. Hike at Cloudland Canyon and admire the icicles when you reach the waterfall.4. Take your clubs to whack some golf balls at an area driving range.5. Walk around Coolidge Park before getting warm in surrounding shops and restaurants.ROADS TO AVOIDThese roads remain unsafe for motorists:* Hamilton County -- Roberts Mill Road* Catoosa County -- Pine Grove Access Road* Dade County -- Fisher RoadSource: Various sheriff's departments
Not even ice, snow or 20-degree temperatures can keep Russell Davenport from his daily walk.
The 71-year-old Ringgold, Ga., resident walks about a mile each day with his golden retriever, Bo, and he said the cold weather hasn't changed his schedule.
"I have to walk him every day, no matter what the weather's like," Mr. Davenport said Friday as Bo sniffed a trail along a stretch of the Chickamauga Battlefield.
Snow won't make any other blanket appearances in the area this weekend, but meteorologists say chilly temperatures will stick in the Tennessee Valley for some time.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., said a stubborn cold front will keep Chattanooga low temperatures in the teens with highs occasionally reaching the low 30s this weekend. Some higher elevations could see temperatures drop to single digits at night.
Next week promises a warmup without precipitation until late in the week.
"It looks like a fairly dry week for most of the week," said Lyle Wilson, Weather Service meteorologist. "Maybe by Friday or Saturday there may be some precipitation trying to move in, but it's still too early to say rain or snow."
This weekend will be cold.
"Definitely make sure to dress accordingly," said WTVC NewsChannel 9 chief meteorologist David Glenn. "Wear lots of layers. We tell folks to have a toboggan or a knit cap, because you lose most of your body heat through your head. Protect yourself and wear gloves on your hands."
That's advice Mr. Davenport already was following Friday. Dressed in gloves, a sweatshirt and a blue and green jacket, Mr. Davenport said he treated it as he would any other day.
"I just have to bundle up," he said.
ROAD CONDITIONS
By midafternoon Friday, many roads around Chattanooga and in North Georgia were free of ice, but drivers remained cautious.
"I've been driving slower than normal," said Heather Helton, 26, who drove from her home in Rossville to Greenlife Grocery in Chattanooga. "I tried to watch out for the ice patches because there were a lot of them on the road."
According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, salt trucks and a low volume of traffic led to a virtually accident-free Friday on interstates and major state routes in Hamilton County. But officials urged caution on roads less traveled.
"The main thing is watching out on secondary roads," said Jennifer Flynn, spokeswoman for TDOT. "I would stay on interstates and state routes if possible, but if you do have to get on the secondary roads, just use caution. Have emergency supplies in your car like a blanket and extra coat just in case the car got stuck."
EPB spokeswoman Lacie Newton said conditions were "extremely quiet" Thursday and Friday because of the dry nature of the storm. About 1,000 EPB customers in the Main Street area of Chattanooga experienced a brief power outage, she said.
CITY IN STANDSTILL
The frigid temperatures that kept many indoors or out of work on Friday created the perfect opportunity for Chattanooga resident Veronica Nash to get a jump-start on her weekend errands.
"It's been the best day to be out," Ms. Nash said as she loaded groceries into her car at the Food Lion in Fort Oglethorpe. "There were no lines in Walmart, no traffic."
Ms. Nash, 34, who works at Howard School of Academics and Technology in Chattanooga, said she spent her day off ensuring she wouldn't have to brave the expected low temperatures this weekend.
"I've had enough of getting out in this bitter cold. I told everyone I would have an attitude until this cold goes away," she laughed. "I do not like it."
The cold conditions likely will keep many usual weekend activities on the shelf, but a few local business owners were able to see the next few days as an opportunity to heat up.
"Usually if they salt the roads, we're very, very busy," said Anthony Whitmire, manager of Eastgate Car Wash. "It gets salt all over the cars, and the first thing (drivers) want is the salt gone. We get double or triple the business."
"We put in five water heaters today," said Tommy Reese, owner of Reese Plumbing Co. in Chattanooga. "I call this 'mild cold,' where your business is increased by 30 to 40 percent. When it's in the single digits, your business can easily double or triple. But at the same time, we don't like to see the kind of damage frozen water pipes can produce."
Photo Gallery
The Looney Bin
A few of the party people at the Looney Bin on Wednesday, January 31 for Pat Godwin headlining act.