Lakeway Area hit with heavy snowstorm
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Weather for the Lakeway Area is going to thaw roads and homes that have been hit with snow and blisteringly cold temperatures over the past week.
National Weather Service Morristown Meteorologist Doug Schneider said that after significant snowfall over the weekend, rain is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday with calmer weather following for the week.
“We had snow starting Friday afternoon and continuing through most of the day Saturday; the snow amounts that we saw across the Lakeway area were generally in the range of six to nine inches, so a pretty good amount,” he said on Monday. “With the cold temperatures, especially last night with the snow cover, the low temperatures dropped down quite cold. At the Tri-Cities Airport, it was a record low of minus seven degrees.”
Schneider said Morristown saw an overnight low of 6 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The next week is going to be pretty quiet weather-wise compared to what we’ve had,” he said. “The chance of rain comes in on Tuesday afternoon and we’ll have some rain around Wednesday, but it’s going to be all rain. There’s no chance of any snow.
“The rest of the week through the weekend should be getting warmer and we should be having highs probably in the 40s, 45 to 50 degree range by Sunday.”
Crews in Morristown continued to attempt to clear streets and will be working to make streets passable until the weather relents.
Morristown Police Department Chief Roger Overholt said he appreciates people staying off the roads as much as is possible.
“(I) would like to thank the drivers who were able to stay home and chose to do so for keeping traffic to a minimum,” he said in a statement to the Citizen Tribune. “We also appreciate the first responders who remained ready all weekend to respond to emergencies despite the harsh weather conditions.”
With roads still icy and potentially hazardous, schools systems in the Lakeway Area, including Hamblen, Jefferson, Grainger, Hawkins, Greene and Cocke, have decided to cancel classes on Tuesday.
Here is the NWS forecast for Morristown for the rest of the week:
Tuesday: Showers likely, mainly after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night: Showers, mainly before 1am. Low around 35. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Wednesday: A slight chance of rain showers after 1pm, mixing with snow after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 40. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday Night: A 10 percent chance of snow showers before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

