Nashville bracing for dangerous winter storm bringing snow and ice
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Nashville is bracing for a monstrous and possibly record-setting winter storm this weekend.
The big picture: Across the region, the telltale signs of incoming snow and ice are accumulating.
- Grocery shelves are bare.
- Famed meteorologist and storm chaser Jim Cantore has his eyes on Music City.
- The Tennessee Department of Transportation has amassed 1.3 million gallons of salt brine and 231,000 tons of salt.
State of play: Forecasts are largely in agreement that Nashville will get a lot of snow starting Friday night. The question is how much.
- There's a 30% to 50% chance of 9 inches of snow north of I-40. Some models suggest as much as 20 inches of snow is possible in the region.
Threat level: The more dire risk of ice is growing as the forecast develops.
- Some models suggest warmer air late Friday could lead to freezing rain before the snow starts to accumulate on Saturday.
- The National Weather Service puts our odds of getting at least a quarter-inch of ice at about 50%. This would be a worst-case scenario for keeping roads safe to travel.
Between the lines: The Weather Service also expects temperatures to "free fall" over the weekend, preventing large-scale melting. Temps are expected stay below freezing from Friday evening until Tuesday and Wednesday.
- "This long period of subfreezing temperatures may prolong winter storm impacts into early next week," the NWS warns.
Driving the news: In response, Nashvillians hit up grocery stores and cleared shelves of essentials.
- Checkout lines snaked around big box grocery stores like Publix and Kroger.
- Meat, milk and toilet paper supplies dwindled.
Flashback: Mayor Freddie O'Connell bulked up the city's snow response plan after ice and snow in 2024 left many roads impassable.
- Metro's snowplow fleet is at an all-time high with 45 trucks, including 36 new additions.
What's next: Nashville Department of Transportation trucks are expected to begin pretreating roads by Thursday.