Snowfall Forecast: What to Expect in Middle Tennessee!

A winter storm watch has been escalated to a winter storm warning. On Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a caution for snow throughout the whole Middle Tennessee area, predicting significant travel difficulties from Friday through Friday night.

A winter storm watch is announced when conditions are conducive to a potentially dangerous winter storm event, while a warning is triggered when a minimum of six inches of snow is forecasted within a 12-hour timeframe, or at least 8 inches of snow within 24 hours.

The warning is valid from 3 a.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday. The start time will be later for the Cumberland Plateau region, beginning at 9 a.m., according to the weather service.

Snow is expected to develop in the southwest during the early morning hours and will progressively spread throughout the morning, with the most intense snowfall predicted for the late morning through early evening, as stated by the weather service.

The snowfall will then diminish during the evening and early overnight hours from west to east. By midnight, most regions are expected to experience dry conditions, with a few lingering snow showers over the plateau region after midnight, according to the weather service.

How much snow will Nashville receive on Friday? What can Nashville expect?

The bulk of the Middle Tennessee area is predicted to accumulate between three to six inches of snow on Friday, although certain regions might observe up to seven inches.

“We may observe a band of heavier snow likely forming somewhere between Lawrenceburg and Nashville, and if and where this occurs, we could see locally higher totals of 7″ in that area,” reported the weather service.

Snow is expected to start moving into the Nashville area as early as 4 a.m., but it will most likely commence around 7 a.m. At the latest, it will arrive by 10 a.m., according to the weather service.

Here are the latest projected snow totals for Nashville and adjacent areas:

• Nashville: four to six inches
• Clarksville: four to six inches
• Lafayette: four to six inches
• Jamestown: four to six inches
• Waverly: four to six inches
• Smithville: four inches
• Waynesboro: three to four inches
• Columbia: three to four inches
• Crossville: three to four inches
• Tullahoma: three to four inches

National Weather Service alerts of dangerous travel, black ice expected Friday through next week

The weather service continues to recommend against travel on Friday due to significant travel complications anticipated to arise Friday morning from snow-covered roads. Travel is expected to become “extremely difficult” by mid to late morning; although most of the snow will exit by Friday night, travel challenges will persist into Saturday.

As we transition into Saturday, temperatures are expected to remain low, with highs near freezing and nighttime lows in the teens or possibly single digits.

After Saturday, temperatures will rise above freezing during the day, but nighttime lows will drop below freezing, causing remaining snow to melt during sunlight and to freeze overnight early next week, leading to black ice and ongoing hazardous travel, especially on secondary roads as noted by the weather service.

Diana Leyva reports on trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Reach her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, previously known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana