Knoxville is staring down a mix of calm and cloudy skies, with the National Weather Service (NWS) reporting a somewhat dreary overlay of fog and mist enveloping the city this morning. With visibility at a meager 7 miles, residents are waking up to a chilly 19°F that feels like an icy handshake from winter itself. Though the air is calm for now, the NWS foresees a gentle shift later in the day as a southwest wind picks up to about 5 mph, nudging temperatures to a friendlier high near 45°F.
Looking ahead, tonight's forecast suggests mostly cloudy skies with modest southwest winds persisting at the same leisurely pace and a low teetering at around 28°F, according to the National Weather Service. The weekend offers a glimpse of the sun, with partly sunny conditions and a high near 48°F earmarked for tomorrow. A tad of restlessness stirs in the atmosphere come tomorrow night when a 20 percent chance of showers could grace the dark sky after 1 a.m., and temperatures hovering near 32°F.
As a new week dawns, the weather takes a calm turn with mostly sunny days on both Monday and Tuesday, where highs will be hovering near the upper 40s and low 50s, and winds remaining civil, breezing in from the southwest. But Knoxville should keep an eye on midweek predictions, as Wednesday flaunts a 20 percent chance of rain showers with highs peaking at about 56°F, giving residents a hint of warmer days to come.
The NWS advisory doesn't anticipate much turbulence, but pinpoints a slight chance of freezing rain on Thursday night. The lows are expected to border on a frosty 29°F, a reminder that winter still has its grip firmly on the region's throat. The rest of the week appears mostly uneventful in terms of hazardous weather, with a steady pattern of mostly sunny days and slight chances of precipitation that refuse to fully commit.
The National Weather Service released their Hazardous Weather Outlook for the area, "Scattered snow showers will continue across Southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee, and far east Tennessee mountains the rest of this afternoon into the evening hours. Light snow accumulations up to 1/2 inch is possible across the high elevations." It seems that, for now, spotters can stand down, as no activation is deemed necessary at this time, and the probability for widespread hazardous weather remains low as the week unfolds.
