LIVE UPDATES: Freezing cold moves into East Tennessee. Get the latest forecasts, closures
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The National Weather Service's winter storm warning ended today but in another way things are just getting started. A wind chill advisory is here and temperatures could feel like 10 below zero today.
Roads will be very slippery today, and dangerously cold temperatures are moving in for several days.
"Below zero wind chills are likely Tuesday night into Wednesday morning," the weather service said. The wind chill warning expires at noon Jan. 17 but the cold will linger.
The cold and a thick blanket of snow forced the closures of schools, businesses and offices across East Tennessee, and some have already decided to stay closed through at least Jan. 17.
Buckle in because another round of snow is possible late in the week, meteorologists say, and cold temperatures will stick around through the weekend.
Here's the latest news and what to know to safely make it through this week.
Major neighborhood roads will be plowed by Tuesday night, city says
The city has already plowed and salted most major roads in Knoxville, per guidelines set up in the city's snow and ice removal plan, and moved on to neighborhoods today.
By the end of the day Tuesday, the city expects to have cleared most major neighborhood access roads, a city spokesperson said.
Beginning in the early hours of the morning on Monday and Tuesday, crews plowed and salted Level 1 and Level 2 roads. Level 1 roads are high traffic volume, like Chapman Highway and Kingston Pike, and hospital routes.
Level 2 roads are feeder streets off of major roads, like Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Old Broadway, and trouble spots that get dangerous quickly in icy conditions.
Now, the city is moving on to Level 3 streets, which provide neighborhood access. City officials have warned that street conditions vary greatly, even as crews plan to start early in the morning to re-treat some streets that have iced over again.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation handles all interstates, which are in "fairly good shape" in the Knoxville area, TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi said. As temperatures drop overnight, the risk of refreezing is high, especially on bridges and ramps.
TDOT encourages drivers to stay off the interstates unless necessary as crews go over the highways again with plows and salt to prevent crashes.
It's not quite the Blizzard of '93 ... but here are the snowfall totals
The snowstorm forecast to drop up to 8 inches of snow on the Knoxville area outdid itself. The light flurries that started Monday morning continued all day long, getting heavier at times and eventually dumping as much as 10 inches in spots.
Many Knoxville residents predicted this snow event would beat the infamous blizzard of 1993. Spoiler alert: It didn't.
The National Weather Service local storm reports showed some significant variations in recorded snowfall. Oak Ridge saw 8.5 inches, with areas of Knox County seeing anywhere from 6.5 inches to a high of 9.9 inches.
Read more about all the totals across East Tennessee - they are quite varied.
Knoxville Police Department receives hundreds of calls for stuck vehicles and crashes
KPD said in a post online that it had received 161 calls for disabled vehicles and 64 calls for crashes since 6 a.m. Jan. 15.
One of those crashes — involving multiple vehicles on Interstate 75 North near Callahan Drive — was fatal. The operator of a box truck slid into a semitrailer and was declared dead at the scene, KPD said, urging drivers to stay off the roads unless necessary.
"Please continue to use extreme caution on the roads, and be aware that persistent ice is possible," the department said.
More than half of the city's salt stockpile has been used
More than half of Knoxville's 2,000 ton stockpile of salt has been used, according to city officials. More will be ordered and officials said there will be enough to handle the rest of the storm, but not enough to last the winter.
Level 1 and 2 streets were treated with salt prior to snowfall and are "generally in good shape," officials said in an email Jan. 16. They've moved onto Level 3 streets but smaller residential streets had not yet been plowed.
Schools are closed across East Tennessee
District administrators have opted to close schools today and beyond. Keep up with the closures here.
McGhee Tyson Airport flights resume, but airlines have canceled some flights
Flights at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville were suspended last night and this morning as crews cleared the runways. Airport officials say flights are expected to resume at about 10 a.m.
As many as 10 departures scheduled for this morning and afternoon were canceled, causing some travelers to weigh whether to make the trip to the airport for flights in the evolving weather situation. As of this morning, the airport had tallied 53 cancellations in the last 24 hours, according to FlightAware.
Please check with your individual airline for details about your specific flight!
Government offices, meetings and services are affected
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed again Jan. 16.
All Knox County government offices, including libraries and the court system, are closed today. Knox County Library facilities will be closed on Jan. 17 as well.
The Knox County Commission's workshop on Advance Knox, work session and beer board meetings are all postponed to Jan. 22 at 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
The Knox County Commission Audit Committee's meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Jan. 17, has been canceled. It will be rescheduled in February.
The Knox County Sheriff Employees' Merit System Board of Directors meeting scheduled for Jan. 17 has been cancelled. It will be rescheduled.
Knoxville city offices and recreation centers were closed Jan. 16, and will be closed again Jan. 17. City services such as KPD, KFD, public service crews and fleet service technicians will continue to perform their duties.
There will be no city of Knoxville trash pickup Jan. 16.
The Knoxville Museum of Art was closed Jan. 16, and will remain closed Jan. 17.
The Beck Cultural Exchange Center will be closed Jan. 17, and will operate on a limited basis through the rest of the week.
The Diocese of Knoxville Chancery was closed Jan. 16, and will be closed Jan. 17.
Loudon County Justice Center is closed.
Sevierville city offices are closed.
The U.S. citizenship naturalization ceremony that had been scheduled for Jan. 17 has been cancelled. The next Knoxville ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. April 25.
KAT buses have been suspended due to continued dangerous road conditions. KAT does not expect to return to any level of service before the afternoon of Jan. 17. Further updates and route information will be posted at katbus.com.
Warming centers at Magnolia Avenue United Methodist Church, Vestal United Methodist Church and Cokesbury Church remain open at night. Call 211 or email the Knoxville-Knox County Office of Housing Stability at office@KnoxTNHousing.org to donate money or food or to volunteer.
Stay safe in your car and in your home
There are a few steps to take ‒ and a few myths to avoid ‒ to keep your car running in the bitter cold.
You don't want frozen pipes or to feel cold in your own house. Take these steps now to be cozy and safe.
Power outages can be dangerous. Here's how to stay safe and avoid fires.
University of Tennessee students made the most of the snow
UT Facilities shared that staff and students were making the most of the snow day with snowball fights, snowmen and sledding near Ayres Hall.
Early today, the facilities team posted that they've brought out the snow plows. The team will be clearing the roads today while campus is closed.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville weather live updates: Freezing cold forecast forces closures
