Ochs Highway
photo by TDOT
A driving rainstorm with high winds caused widespread power outages in the Chattanooga area on Tuesday morning.
There was a mud slide near Sanders Road that was expected to shut down Ochs Highway on Lookout Mountain for much of the day. However, it was re-opened at 11:15 a.m.
Jennifer Flynn of TDOT said, "A mudslide occurred on the SR-58 portion of Ochs Highway, early this morning, closing the roadway between Sanders Road and where Ochs Highway continues up the mountain. It was reported at 5:50 a.m., and TDOT Operations/Maintenance immediately went to the scene, where they remain. For the safety of our crews, they waited until daylight to begin clearing the area."
High water was also reported across Cummings Highway.
Hamilton County was under a tornado watch for much of the night.
Out in the county,the 100 block of Roberts Mill Road was closed due to water over the roadway. The 12000 block of Birchwood Pike had trees down.
At 7:15 a.m., power outages included:
100-200 in North Chattanooga
200-5-- at Lookout Mountain
over 500 at Shallowford-Tyner and at East Brainerd.
By 7:30 a.m., there were fewer than 100 outages in all EPB districts.
More severe storms are expected on Tuesday:
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT THROUGH OUR AREA TODAY AND EARLY THIS EVENING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THIS FRONT...AND SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT...ALTHOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. HEAVY RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO FLOODING IN SOME AREAS AS WELL TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. IN ADDITION...STRONG WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY OVER SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND FOOTHILLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
Hamilton County was under a flash flood warning:
AT 446 AM EDT /346 AM CDT/...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. UP TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN...AND ADDITIONAL INCH IS POSSIBLE BY SUNRISE. HAMILTON COUNTY HAS REPORTED MULTIPLE ROAD CLOSURES...ESPECIALLY SOME SECONDARY AND SIDE ROADS. IN PARTICULAR OCHS HIGHWAY IS CLOSED DUE TO MUD AND DEBRIS ACROSS THE ROAD AND CUMMINGS HIGHWAY IS CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER. . FLASH FLOODING IS IN PROGRESS OR WILL BEGIN SHORTLY. * SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE... CHATTANOOGA...DUNLAP...JASPER...SODDY-DAISY...SIGNAL MOUNTAIN... WALDEN...LAKESITE...WHITWELL...KIMBALL...RIDGESIDE...HARRISON... FAIRMOUNT...RED BANK...COLLEGEDALE...POWELLS CROSSROADS...MARTIN SPRINGS...HALETOWN (GUILD)...OOLTEWAH...EAST BRAINERD AND SALE CREEK. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... IF FLOODING IS OCCURRING AT YOUR LOCATIONS...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND NOW. ACT QUICKLY TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING.
A flash flood watch continues until 7 p.m. Tuesday with 1-2 more inches of rain expected.
Ochs Highway
photo by TDOT