As deep freeze sets in, Tennessee snow is here to stay

The totals are in: Middle Tennessee got more than 7.5 inches of snow over the holiday weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm broke the area’s record for the most snow that’s fallen on Jan. 15, and blew past the annual average of less than 5 inches.

There’s a chance for more snow over Thursday and Friday, but meteorologist Mike Rose said it’s unlikely that will total more than an inch or so — except for a few isolated spots on the Cumberland Plateau. What people really need to worry about is the temperature.

“The next few days are overall going to be extremely cold and almost entirely below freezing until Monday,” he said.

The agency issued a wind chill advisory Tuesday night into Wednesday. The actual temperature should be in the single digits, and the wind chill could get as low as 15 below zero.

Given the frigid forecast, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Nashville Electric Service are asking customers to keep their energy usage down to balance pressure on the grid. TVA says those efforts will be especially important from 6 to 10 a.m. Wednesday. Some of the recommendations included keeping the thermostat at or below 68 degrees, holding off on doing laundry, and washing dishes in the sink instead of the dishwasher. They also recommended cooking with smaller appliances like the microwave, toaster oven or air fryer instead of the standard oven.

Many Metro offices — as well as the libraries and Metro public schools — will remain closed on Wednesday.

Middle Tennessee got about half a foot of snow over Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The weather forced business to grind to a halt throughout the region.

Reporting from the field for @WPLN and it is…still snowing! pic.twitter.com/Cv5mNZGT4F

— Paige Southwick Pfleger (@PaigePfleger) January 15, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop at BNA on Monday, the airport said via social media. The Tennessee General Assembly, which just kicked off its legislative session, already announced it would cancel for the week. Schools, parks and libraries throughout the area were closed Tuesday.

And all this snow isn’t going anywhere fast.

Tuesday was chilly — below freezing — and Wednesday is expected to be just as cold but less cloudy.

“Sunshine on Wednesday will help, but don’t expect much melting until then,” said Rose.

Rose said that potential snow expected late Thursday into Friday wouldn’t be as heavy as Monday’s.

“The greatest additional accumulations are going to occur mainly east of I-65 and especially along the Cumberland Plateau,” he said.

The areas west of the interstate, including Nashville, are expected to get another inch or less. But eastern areas, like Smithville, Jamesville and Crosstown are expected to get two or three more inches.

“These are amounts on top of what has already fallen,” he said.

Tony Gonzalez WPLN News

A truck drives down snowy Rosa L. Parks Boulevard on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.

The Tennessee Office of Emergency Management reported 35 vehicle assists, 20 citizen assists and nine homeless encampment checks on Monday afternoon.

The Nashville Department of Transportation — as well as its state counterpart — issued statements asking residents to stay off the road. Nashville’s issued a statement saying 56 crews were working 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day throughout the storm. It said those crews can work more safely and effectively when the roadways were clear of non-essential traffic. TDOT said it was clearing routes mostly for first responders, not general traffic.

More than 1,000 Tennesseans lost power during the storm, which utilities acknowledged was especially concerning given the weather forecast warned of single-digit overnight temperatures.

Nashville Electric Service linemen working to restore power for about 600 customers. (Photo credit: NES)

As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 2,700 Tennesseans were dealing with power issues. That’s according to Bluefire Studios’ outage tracker, which maps power outages all over the country. The tracker looks at about 3 million Tennesseans’ power, including the nearly half a million people using the Nashville utility.

NES reported about 600 outages Monday afternoon via social media with a photo of linemen working.

Metro Social Services said its cold weather shelter will remain open through Wednesday. Nearly 300 people and five pets stayed there Sunday night, the agency said in a release. A little more than 300 free WeGo bus passes were disseminated for free rides to the shelter — Nashville Rescue Mission, Room in the Inn, and Extreme Cold Weather Overflow.

This post was last updated at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday.