Last week most of Tennessee was blanketed in snow, but don’t count on seeing it again this weekend.
A large cold front is expected to push through the Midwest toward the East Coast starting Wednesday, bringing frigid temperatures to states in its path including Tennessee, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service. While there is a call for some possible snow in areas of Tennessee, especially in higher elevations, the rest of the Volunteer State is just going to be cold…really cold.
“Arctic cold is forecast to surge through much of the Lower 48 starting later this week into next week. Bitterly cold wind chills are possible over many areas,” read a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
While Tennessee may be seeing some mild temperatures during the day up until Saturday, don’t put that heavy winter coat in storage just yet. Temperatures across the state are expected to take a sharp dive come Sunday and into next week.
Here’s a look at what the state can expect weather-wise as we head into the weekend and the beginning of next week.
Tennessee winter weather: Cold temperatures to hit, but snow not likely
Tennessee may not see a winter storm this weekend, but it will be cold and slightly wet in certain areas of the state. Middle and East Tennessee might have the greatest chance of seeing some flakes of snow on Saturday but expect rain to be the main form of precipitation.
The forecast calls for mild temperatures in the high 40s to low 50s heading into the weekend, with rain moving into Middle Tennessee Friday evening before slowly heading east towards the mountains on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. Expect the cold air to come as it heads out.
“… it’ll likely be a pretty dreary (Friday) as we wait for the precip to move off the Plateau. Colder air will fill in behind the rain and any remaining moisture is expected change over to snow late Saturday night and Sunday morning,” read the forecast discussion for Wednesday.
But even if snow does fall, it won’t amount to anything in Middle Tennessee and the Nashville area, according to the latest forecast predictions.
East Tennessee temperatures are trending a bit lower than the middle part of the state, with highs in the mid-40s for the rest of the week and into the weekend. That area might see a bit more snow mixed in with the rain on Friday and Saturday, but accumulation isn’t expected in the Knoxville area.
As for the western part of the state, expect sunny weather into the weekend with highs hitting the mid to low 50s, but be ready for a large drop in temperature by Sunday with a predicted high of only 31.
Prep for frigid temps: When should I use emergency heat? How do I prevent pipes from freezing?
It’s going to get cold this weekend and looks like it will be sticking around into next week. Here are some things to keep in mind and things to prepare for as we start to see freezing temperatures during the day and at night.
Keeping warm: What to set you heat to during winter? 68 degrees is recommended; how cold it gets in Tennessee
When should I turn on my emergency heat? What to know amid freezing temperatures in Tennessee
Prevent pipes from freezing: How to prevent frozen pipes, keep your home warm ahead of season
When will we have another winter snowstorm?
While it is unlikely that the arctic blast heading our way will bring any winter weather like we saw on Friday, Jan. 10, we might be in for some soon. But it’s still a bit early to tell.
“There is an interesting system developing to our west and south midweek next week that may threaten the southeast with some wintry weather, but there`s still a lot of uncertainty around the possibility of precip,” read the National Weather Service’s forecast discussion.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When’s the next snow storm? Latest Tennessee weather predictions