Wind Advisory in effect from 4 PM Thursday to noon EST Friday...
Tonight
Mostly cloudy. Lows in the 30s. Southeast winds 10 mph or less.
Thursday
Cloudy. A slight chance of rain showers in the morning...then a chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Breezy. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s. Southeast winds 10 to 20 mph...increasing to 20 to 30 mph in the late afternoon. Gusts up to 40 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Rain showers. Windy. Lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Southeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 45 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Christmas Day
Partly sunny. A chance of rain showers in the morning...then a slight chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Breezy. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s. South winds 20 to 30 mph in the morning...decreasing to 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy. Colder. Lows in the mid 20s. Northwest winds 10 mph or less.
... Wind Advisory remains in effect from 4 PM EST /3 PM CST/ Thursday to noon EST /11 am CST/ Friday...
A Wind Advisory remains in effect from 4 PM EST /3 PM CST/ Thursday to noon EST /11 am CST/ Friday.
* Timing: winds are expected to increase across the Cumberland Plateau... southwest Virginia... and extreme southwest North Carolina beginning late Thursday afternoon and continuing through Friday morning.
* Winds: winds will be sustained between 20 and 30 mph from the southeast. Winds gusts to 40 mph will be common... with gusts up to 50 mph possible in the highest elevations.
* Impacts: trees limbs and weaker trees may be blown down by these winds. Driving may be difficult for high profile vehicles.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
Winds this strong can make driving difficult... especially for high profile vehicles... so use caution when driving.
Special Weather Statement
Statement as of 4:00 PM CST on December 23, 2009
... Flooding possible Thursday evening into Friday morning from rain falling on snow pack in the higher terrain...
A significant storm system will cross the southern Appalachians Thursday evening into Friday morning. This is a relatively warm system and will produce widespread rains... briefly moderate to heavy. This would normally cause only isolated minor flood problems but the higher terrain... especially some mountains in east Tennessee and southwest Virginia have significant snow still on the ground.
Rain will cause at least some of the snow to melt which will add to the runoff. Small streams coming out of the mountains and possibly the northern Cumberland Plateau will be most likely to flood. Some of the larger rivers such as the French Broad... little Pigeon... and Pigeon may also flood. Even the upper reaches of the Powell and Clinch rivers may experience significant rises.
Urban areas such as Chattanooga... Knoxville... and Johnson City may experience minor flooding in the typical low flat spots.
We will keep an eye on the situation and issue flood watches or warnings if necessary. Be careful and keep an eye on streams and flood prone spots. If you come to a flooded or closed Road... turn around. Don't drown.