Nashville area temperatures fall below zero. How long will it stay cold and when we can expect a warm up
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It's not going to warm up anytime soon, Nashville.
Wednesday morning, Nashville tied the record for the coldest temperature during the December 2022 cold snap with a temperature of -1. According to the National Weather Service, it's only the second time Nashville has fallen below 0 since 1996.
With the frigid temperatures and wind chill values as low as -12, the weather service extended its wind chill advisory for all of Middle Tennessee until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
In addition to the freezing conditions, the Tennessee Valley Authority is asking customers to limit electricity use between 6 and 10 a.m. C.T. Wednesday morning.
Check out some of the low temperatures so far this morning across Middle Tennessee 🥶 How cold is it where you are? pic.twitter.com/FanUuwSOKe
— NWS Nashville (@NWSNashville) January 17, 2024
The good news, Wednesday will be sunny and clear and a high pressure system push in "warmer" air Wednesday, forecasters said.
"Highs tomorrow will push into the upper 20s to right around 30," the weather service's forecast discussion states. "Despite temperatures staying below freezing we should see the snow start to melt given the amount of sunshine expected."
Wednesday night temperatures will still be cold but not nearly as cold as Tuesday night.
The bad news, rain and snow showers return Thursday followed by another cold front that will being temperatures down to single digits again for the weekend.
How long will it stay cold in Nashville?
The weather service said it is likely not going to warm up for two reasons.
First, the snowpack (the total snow and ice on the ground, including both the new snow and the previous snow which has not melted) will reflect much of the afternoon solar radiation. Second, a strong thermal troughing will be building our way sending temperatures down to 5 degrees overnight Tuesday.
Record snowfall in Nashville? Music City surpasses yearly average in less than 24 hours
Looking ahead, another arctic front will be on the heels of the Thursday system, said the weather service. Lows by Friday morning will be back down to near 20 for many areas with just a small warm up during the day.
"Adding to the chill will be some light snowfall that could continue into the day. The rest of the extended looks dry but very cold," they said. "Look for single digits for lows into the weekend with moderating temps and highs near 40 degrees by Monday.
Additional snow accumulation may be possible Thursday and Friday, though amounts should be less than 1 inch for most areas including Nashville and Clarksville, forecasters said.
When will it warm up in Middle Tennessee?
During a Tuesday briefing, weather service officials said Midstate residents can expect much warmer weather next week.
“We’ll forget that this week ever happened,” a weather service official said during Tuesday's briefing. He did not identify himself.
Above normal temperatures and precipitation are expected between Jan. 21-25, the weather service said.
How much snow did the Nashville area receive?
On Tuesday, the weather service released final snow totals from Jan. 14-15. Here's how much snow the Middle Tennessee area received:
Belle Meade 9.0 inches
Berry Hill 8.9 inches
Oak Hill 8.5 inches
Antioch 7.9 inches
Nolensville 5.5 inches
Hendersonville 8.1 inches
Gallatin 8.0 inches
Murfreesboro 6.9 inches
Springfield 6.0 inches
Lafayette 5.5. inches
Shelbyville 6.5 inches
Nashville receives record snowfall on Monday
On Monday, Nashville received its yearly average of snow in less than 24 hours.
On Tuesday, the weather service confirmed that Nashville's official accumulation for the whole event was 7.6 inches, of that 6.3 inches fell Monday alone. That total surpasses the 2.2 inches daily snowfall record for January 15 which was set in 1944.
The average yearly snowfall from 1991 to 2020 was 4.7 inches, according to the weather service.
More: Nashville area road conditions: Roads expected to worsen with freezing temperatures
Nashville area radar
Nashville 7-day forecast
Tuesday: Partly sunny with a high near 18. Mostly clear at night with a low around 2. Wind chill values as low as -8.
Wednesday: Sunny with a high near 28, wind chill values as low as -5. Increasing clouds at night with a low around 15.
Thursday: Snow showers mainly after noon with a high near 34. The chance of precipitation is 80%. Snow showers likely before midnight. Cloudy with a low around 19, the chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: Partly sunny with a high near 26. Partly cloudy at night with a low around 4.
Saturday: Mostly sunny with a high near 21 and a low around 4 at night.
Sunday: Mostly sunny with a high near 34 and a low around 19 at night.
Monday: Mostly sunny with a high near 44.
Reporters Craig Shoup, Kirsten Fiscus and Katie Nixon contributed to this report. Diana Leyva covers trending news and service for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville weather forecast: Freezing temps to stay; warm up in sight
