GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Winter weather is once again making its way into East Tennessee.
In preparation for snowy and icy conditions, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closing U.S. Highway 441, or Newfound Gap Road, at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The closure is between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, North Carolina.
A cold front will approach from the west and draw moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico causing scattered rain showers to spread across East Tennessee into Tuesday.
The front moved in on Tuesday morning and temperatures are expected to drop steadily throughout the day.
As of now, it looks like rain will transition to snow on the Plateau and in Southeast Kentucky by Tuesday afternoon. These locations will have the longest duration of snowfall and therefore the highest chance of seeing impacts.
1"-2" of accumulation is possible (with higher totals in the highest elevations). Roads may become slick or snow-covered in parts of Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Scott, Anderson, Campbell, Union and Claiborne counties into Tuesday evening.
Roads may also become hazardous in parts of Wayne, McCreary, Whitley, Laurel, Bell, Harlan and Knox counties in Southeast Kentucky.
The winter weather caused a handful of schools to dismiss students early.
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