KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A wintry weather system is heading to East Tennessee that will potentially bring several inches of snow to Knoxville and the rest of the area.
The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a Winter Storm Warning for the entirety of our East Tennessee viewing area. That will go into effect at 1 a.m. EST on Monday and last until 7 a.m. EST on Tuesday. The main concerns will be heavy snow on Monday, particularly in the afternoon, and some bitterly cold temperatures that follow Tuesday and Wednesday.
This storm is expected to impact roads, but there is the potential for heavy snow to cause power outages and for freezing temperatures to burst pipes as well. Most of the area is expected to see several inches of snow as of the 5 p.m. Sunday snowfall models:
What should I do to prepare?
At a minimum, you need to make sure you are stocked up with essentials in any case: that means food, water, prescriptions, keeping your phones charged, and the like. The National Weather Service has emergency supply kit tips below or at this link. Also consider picking up things like ice scrapers for your car, snow shovels, and the like.
As of Sunday evening., if you haven't been to a grocery store in the area -- you might have to deal with slim pickings for some essentials until stores can restock. As you'd expect, the bread and milk aisles were starting to look barren at some stores in the area as of Sunday night.
When it comes to driving in the snow, people are heavily advised to stay home until the winter storm passes and road conditions improve, which may not happen until later Tuesday. With the amount of snow in the forecast, conditions will be slick, treacherous and possibly impassable on some roads even with pretreatment, so it's better to play it safe until the snow stops and crews are able to properly clear roads.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it has been prepping and treating the interstates and highways with salt brine trucks for the past few days, but the snow is still anticipated to impact driving conditions -- particularly during Monday afternoon and evening.
"Move over, slow down and work with us during these kinds of events," TDOT said.
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If power outages occur, remember that it will likely take crews more to fix them because of the snow. Keep your phone charged as much as possible and have a way to receive alerts. You can find links to maps to track power outages across the area here.
If you are in need of a warm place to stay, the city of Knoxville said there are a few warming shelters people can stay at starting Monday, Jan. 15.
Along with places like KARM in downtown Knoxville, here's a list of churches that will be opening as warming shelters from the city of Knoxville:
- Cokesbury Church
- 9919 Kingston Pike
- Open 7 p.m. to 8 a.m.
- Doors close for the night at 8 p.m.
- Vestal United Methodist Church
- 115 Ogle Ave.
- Open 5 p.m. to 10 a.m.
- Doors close for the night at 8 p.m.
- Magnolia Avenue United Methodist Church
- 2700 E. Magnolia Ave.
- Open 5 p.m. to 10 a.m.
- Doors close for the night at 8 p.m.