Arctic blasts ahead: Knoxville could see high winds, near-zero wind chill temperatures

Liz Kellar, Knoxville News Sentinel
·3 min read

Batten down the hatches, Knoxville. Another round of gusty weather is heading our way, to be followed by an icy blast of Arctic-like air that could see temperatures dropping into the very low teens with near-zero wind chill values.

Bitter cold and a potential storm in the East are being forecast for Jan. 16-22, with a significant pattern change on the horizon, the National Weather Service said. The weather service is predicting a strong mid-level high pressure system over Greenland will cause a "widespread cold air outbreak" that could affect areas east of the Rockies into late January.

But ahead of that, Knoxville is under a wind advisory for Friday, Jan. 12, with strong southerly winds and gusts as high as 80 mph in the mountains.

What kind of high winds should Knoxville brace for?

A wind advisory is in effect from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, with winds at 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 50 mph expected, the National Weather Service said.

Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. The weather service advises using extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle, and recommends securing outdoor objects.

Weather

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A high wind advisory has been issued for the Great Smoky Mountains, including Gatlinburg. Winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts up to 80 mph are expected. Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines and widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

What does the short-term forecast look like for Knoxville?

Thursday's sunny conditions will turn to rain showers by Friday. Friday will be very windy with highs in the upper 50s and a nearly 100 percent chance of rain, the weather service said. Temperatures will dip into the upper 20s Friday night.

Saturday will be partly sunny in the morning with highs in the lower 40s, and lows in the mid 20s. Sunday will be mostly sunny and highs will remains in the lower 40s. There is a slight chance of snow showers after midnight with lows in the mid 20s.

How cold will it get in Knoxville?

Knoxville will see a significant temperature drop Monday, with a slight chance of snow showers in the morning and highs in the upper 30s. Monday night will be cold with lows around 18 degrees and a 40% chance of snow.

Tuesday will be partly sunny and very cold with highs in the upper 20s and a 30% chance of snow showers; Tuesday night will see lows around 12 degrees and wind chill values near zero.

Wind chill is a term used to describe what the air temperature feels like to the human skin due to the combination of cold temperatures and winds blowing on exposed skin. So the colder the air temperature and the higher the wind speeds, the colder it will feel if you're outside.

Wednesday morning is expected to see highs in the mid 30s with wind chill values near zero.

Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville, East TN may see high winds, near-zero wind chill temps