Midstate Arctic Blast: How Cold Will It Get?

NASHVILLE, TN -- The coldest air in nearly a year is pushing into Middle Tennessee, sending temperatures plunging to dangerously low levels.

Metro set its Cold Weather Response to Level 2 as overnight temperatures fell below 25 degrees. Metro Police found a man, believed to be homeless, dead in a parking lot near 15th Avenue and Hayes Street. The medical examiner will determine if his death was caused by the cold. Metro and homeless advocacy groups have canvassers working the streets to encourage people to stay in emergency shelters during the cold snap.

The National Weather Service says that temperatures will warm slightly Thursday and Friday - highs in the upper 30s and low 40s - but that a massive cold front will bring Arctic air to much of the eastern United States starting Saturday. Forecasters do not expect temperatures to get above freezing between Saturday and Tuesday afternoon. Lows will be in the teens and maybe even down close to single digits New Year's night.

As for snow, the NWS says that models do not have any firm agreement, with some saying there's a chance Saturday and others predicting more significant precipitation for the middle of next week. For now, the NWS only lists a 20 percent chance of snow for Saturday and Sunday.

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