PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — A line of heavy rain caused some flooding across the East Tennessee region on Tuesday.
Several roads across the area were closed as water ponded and began covering roads. Crews had to temporarily close a lane on Interstate 40 East in West Knox County near Lovell Road due to water ponding in the left lane, which backed traffic up to the I-40/I-75 split in Loudon County.
In Sevier County, several roads had to be shut down because of flooding and fallen power lines. That included Butler Branch Road at East Parkway and River Divide Road. Sevier County said Maples Branch Road was impassible between Laura Lane and Richarson Cove. you can find a list of Sevier County road closures at this link.
Sevier County said some parts of the county saw up to 4 inches of rain over 24 hours. Emergency crews said they had to perform a shallow water rescue after someone's car was caught in flood waters off Snapp Road. Sevier County said no one was hurt in the rescue.
“Thank you to the quick action of first responders across the county,” Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said.
In Pigeon Forge, the Little Pigeon River swelled Tuesday, leaving some minor flooding in the area.
Virginia Sutton shared this video taken from the slightly flooded rear parking lot of Christmas Place, showing the river looking not-so-little.
Elsewhere in Sevier County, Gatlinburg opened an emergency shelter later Tuesday morning in case people needed a place to wait out the heavy rain and flooding. It later closed the shelter around 4 p.m. after the heaviest rain passed, saying no one used the shelter.
“The City is thankful that no damage or injuries occurred during this flooding event,” Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said. “The City is also grateful for the many different Departments and City employees which worked together to help mitigate any threat from the rising waters.”
Gatlinburg said several roads remained closed as of Tuesday afternoon, including Topside Road, Hemlock Street, the 400 block of Baskings Creek Road, and Lower Alpine Road.
Gary Snow Webb shared a video from Gatlinburg of river levels being several feet higher than normal. The West Prong of the Little Pigeon River rose up to the bridges near Margaritaville Resort.
The heaviest rains passed Tuesday afternoon, making way for breezy conditions across the area. A Wind Advisory has been issued for the areas shaded in tan where winds could gust up to 50-55 mph in parts of the Valley and on the Plateau through Wednesday, where a few downed trees and isolated power outages are possible.
Breezy conditions will last through the evening and gusty winds may linger in the Valley into Wednesday, so secure loose objects on your property!
Knoxville Utilities Board reported roughly 4,000 outages scattered across Knox County on Tuesday evening.
The high winds also led to several schools releasing early out of caution.