Severe storms could hit Chattanooga area

The Chattanooga area and surrounding states could see severe, damaging winds and storms today.

The National Weather Service on Tuesday said a weather system moving eastward across the Deep South could spawn severe thunderstorms with high winds and isolated, brief tornadoes.

“It’s going to be a nasty spring event, even though it’s wintertime still,” said WRCB Chief Meteorologist Paul Barys.

Area school systems began announcing late Tuesday afternoon they would close in anticipation of the storm. As of 6:30 p.m., Hamilton, Meigs, Grundy, Marion and other counties had announced closures of all their schools.

In Chattanooga, high winds with gusts of up to 50 mph may down trees or tree limbs, as well as power lines. Loose outdoor objects should be secured, and motorists should be cautious of crosswinds, according to the federal weather agency.

“Most of those elevated winds will be on the higher elevations. But you could have 30-35 mph winds in some of the valley areas [today],” Barys said.

The winds stem from a strong low-level “jet” that will move into the eastern Tennessee Valley tonight ahead of a cold front that will sweep

into the region later in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service’s Morristown, Tenn., office.

There is also an enhanced risk of thunderstorms that will produce straight-line winds that may produce large hail and potentially a few tornadoes.

“There’s an outside chance for a tornado. I think the more tornadoes that occur are going to be north of here, but it’s not impossible,” Barys said. “Everyone’s going to have to stay on their toes and get ready to move quick if warnings are issued. It could start anywhere in the afternoon.”

The timeframe for the most severe weather today is between noon and 8 p.m.

“It’s a very powerful storm,” Barys said. “They’re just starting to put out tornado watches well to the north and west of us, and it’s going to be nasty up there.”

The National Weather Service expects to activate its spotter network as the severe weather moves in.

The areas at greatest risk include northeastern Mississippi, northern Alabama, and the northwestern corner of Georgia.

Forecasters said there’s an enhanced risk of severe weather from eastern Tennessee all the way north to West Virginia.