Editor’s Note: An updated forecast has been published. Click here for more.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Freezing rain and sleet has impacted roadways across Middle Tennessee.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for all of Middle Tennessee & Southern Kentucky counties through midday Wednesday.
ALERTS | Weather advisories in Middle Tennessee
An Ice Storm Warning is in effect for Henry, Carroll, Benton, Decatur, Stewart, Montgomery, Robertson, Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, and Humphreys Counties until 6am Wednesday. In this area .25″-.50″ of ice accumulation is possible leading to treacherous travel and power outages.
Specific county-by-county alert & timing can be found here.
Freezing rain is particularly problematic, not just for icy roads, but also for the potential of rain freezing on trees and powerlines, which could lead to power outages.
Roads will become slick overnight into Wednesday morning. If you don’t not have to drive, please stay home.
Accumulations through Wednesday morning:
This is the total ice expectancy through Wednesday.
Another round of wintry weather early Thursday
We will have to watch for another round of freezing rain, sleet, and snow early Thursday morning. However, it does move out by mid-morning and then conditions improve as we head to the weekend.
The science of wintry precipitation
If the precipitation is just rain or just snow, the atmosphere is either greater than or less than 32°. When you add in a wintry mix — freezing rain or sleet — then one must evaluate the temperature at different levels of the atmosphere. Check out the picture below depicting the layers of warm (>32°) and cold air (<32°) that help determine the type of precipitation that reaches the ground.
Our focus is not on snow because there will be layers of warm air that will cause snow to melt. What we will be focused on is rain, then temperatures getting just below freezing and changing over to freezing rain & sleet. Fine-tuning this part of the forecast will not happen until we get closer to the forecast period. One thing is for certain: freezing rain & sleet are both ice, and this accumulation can cause travel hazards and power outages.
Stay with News 2’s Weather Authority team for the latest on this forecast.
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