Middle Tennessee Weekend Winter Storm: Snow, Ice Forecast

NASHVILLE, TN -- Showers and temperatures near 70 Thursday will offer a hint of spring, but it's the balm before the storm, as a blast of winter weather will push into Middle Tennessee Friday morning, bringing ice and snow and causing significant travel problems, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter storm warning is in effect from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday for the counties generally to the west of Nashville with a winter weather advisory for the balance of the Midstate, including Davidson, Williamson and Rutherford counties, from 8 a.m. Friday through midnight.

The NWS expects Thursday's rain to transition quickly into freezing rain and sleet before sunrise Friday across the western counties and then changing to all snow by midmorning with the trend continuing east through Friday morning, with all of Middle Tennessee experiencing snowfall by midday Friday and into Friday evening.

Though winter storms, particularly those with transitioning precipitation, are notoriously hard to predict in Middle Tennessee, forecasters expect up to a quarter of an inch of ice with two to three inches of snow in the western counties with up to two-tenths of an inch of ice and one to two inches of snow for the central and eastern counties.

In any event, travel is expected to be extremely hazardous and Thursday's rain isn't going to help matters.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will not brine or salt the roads while rain is falling, because it simply washes away. Trucks will be loaded up with salt once the rain begins to taper off or transition to frozen precipitation and then deployed once the snow begins to stick, but by that time, it's likely there will be a layer of ice on the roadways, so drivers who must be on the road are advised to be extremely cautious.

Stay with Patch for storm updates through the weekend.

Image via National Weather Service