Snowfall Blankets Region

This season’s first measurable snowfall blanketed the area on the anniversary of the heaviest 24-hour snowfall in Tri-Cities history, News Channel 11 meteorologist Mark Reynolds said.

Friday morning’s 1- to 1½-inch accumulation, which reached a high in some mountain regions of 3 to 4 inches, fails to compare to the 16.5 inches that fell here Nov. 21, 1952. Still, it was enough to cause trouble for some morning commuters, area police dispatchers said.

“There were some minor accidents, nothing serious. Just some people slipping off the roads,” a Bristol Tennessee dispatcher said Friday.

Loren Marz, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., said the Tri-Cities likely hasn’t seen the last of the snow just yet.

“There is another system that looks like it could come through on Friday after Thanksgiving, but it’s too early to tell if it’s going to be rain or snow,” Marz said.

The service did issue a winter weather advisory Friday for mountainous areas of East Tennessee. Meteorologists predicted up to 4 inches of snow in higher elevations as scattered snow showers moved across the mountains of northeast Tennessee and the Smokies.

Elsewhere in the mountain region, from a dusting to an inch was expected, but none in the valley. Temperatures were predicted to be 10 to 15 degrees below normal through Friday night, with highs below freezing in the upper elevations.

Although some clouds will remain today, the Tri-Cities will see some sunshine, Reynolds predicted. Today’s temperatures, however, will remain cold, with highs in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees.

In Abingdon on Friday, residents reported slightly higher accumulation of snow Friday.

“We probably had 2 or 3 inches,” said Don Yates, a Washington County Sheriff’s dispatcher. “I know I had 3½ inches on my deck this morning.”

Police stations from Bristol City, as well as in surrounding counties, said the snow didn’t cause any serious problems or accidents.

“Just people not slowing down for the weather change,” Yates said.

And for the holiday next week, Reynolds said, “Right now it looks like Thanksgiving will be partly cloudy at around 48 degrees. Looks like rain showers coming late Thursday and Friday, and then we may have snow again on the 1st or 2nd of December.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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