The National Weather Service in Morristown has issued a hazardous weather outlook for portions of southwest North Carolina, east Tennessee, and southwest Virginia, expecting a mix of rain and snow into early Saturday morning. Precipitation is set to bring light snow accumulations primarily to higher elevations in southwest Virginia and the Tennessee mountains, with potential dusting across the northern Plateau and northeast Tennessee. In Knoxville, partly sunny skies are forecasted with highs nearing 48 degrees today, with increasing winds that could gust as high as 25 mph.
Tonight’s weather in Knoxville is slated to shift to showers, marking an 80 percent chance of precipitation and new amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, according to the National Weather Service. Moving into the weekend, Saturday could still see a slight chance of showers, while Sunday promises mostly sunny skies, albeit with cooler high temperatures around 34 degrees. Martin Luther King Day on Monday will remain sunny, but it takes a plunge with expected highs near 37 degrees and nighttime lows around 15.
The outlook further extends warnings for severe cold temperatures heading into Monday night, with wind chills dipping possibly below zero in higher elevations. This cold snap is a stark reminder for residents in affected areas to prepare for extreme weather conditions. The National Weather Service also encourages community reports of snowfall from late tonight into Saturday morning, as it contributes valuable data for their weather monitoring efforts…