The Daybreaker: 12/9/2024
Good morning, Scott County! Welcome to a brand new work week. Here’s hoping it’s a good one. It’s going to be a wet one, for the most part, with some more cold temperatures in the middle of the week.
This Week’s Weather
🌧️ Rain early will give way to mostly cloudy skies this afternoon.
Almanac: Sunrise/Sunset: 7:37/5:24 • Records: 69° (1980), 4° (1998) • YTD Rainfall: 49.1” (Normal: 53.8”).
Details: It's going to be warm today, as we'll top out around 60° with breezy conditions. There's a 50% chance of rain showers during the morning hours, but just a slight chance of rain during the afternoon hours. For the most part, the rain should clear Scott County right around sunrise. We'll be in a lull for most of today and tonight, before rain showers begin to redevelop tomorrow ahead of an approaching cold front. We'll also be quite mild, with temperatures tonight probably not dropping below 50°. Rain showers will be likely tomorrow.
Further Out: Cold air will surge back in tomorrow night, and there's a threat of snow showers late tomorrow night into early Wednesday. However, this is a classic cold-chasing-moisture scenario that usually doesn't result in much in the way of snow accumulation for our area. The rain should be pretty much out of our area before the cold air arrives Tuesday night. The bigger question is whether northwest flow snow showers will develop later Tuesday night into Wednesday, and chances for anything substantial appear to be rather low at this point. No meaningful accumulation is expected right now. Wednesday and Thursday will be cold, with temperatures in the 30s. We'll begin a warming trend on Friday and should be near 50° by Sunday.
Snow Watch: No significant snow is expected for at least the next two weeks.
White Christmas Watch: Chances of cold and snowy weather around the Christmas holiday appear to be quite low. The pattern we're moving into isn't conducive for that type of weather. There are three areas of teleconnections that we watch for this time of year: the North Atlantic, the Arctics, and the eastern Pacific. The Pacific is going to take on more of a classic winter look than once appeared likely, which consequently will probably mean we don't experience the wave of 60° temperatures that once looked possible for mid to late December. But the North Atlantic and Arctic regions aren't going to cooperate, which should mean seasonal to slightly above-normal temperatures for our area until the pattern changes. The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting warmth to flood the entire continental U.S. for the next couple of weeks. After that, we could see a bit of a different pattern take shape as we head into the week of Christmas. For now, though, it doesn't look especially supportive for extreme cold or snow here in Tennessee, though there's time for change.
Find daily weather forecasts and analysis on the Independent Herald’s Eye To The Sky page.
News Updates
• Tony Litton Presents was the Judge’s Choice winner at the 76th Scott County Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade Saturday. There were nearly 100 entries and more than 200 moving pieces in the annual parade, which traveled nearly two miles along U.S. Highway 27 from HBD/Thermoid on Industrial Lane to Oneida Elementary School on Claude Terry Drive. Jolee Manis was the parade’s grand marshal.
• Scott High’s Lady Highlanders lost twice to Monterey last season. But on a homecoming Friday at Highlander Gymnasium, the SHS ladies dominated the Wildcats, winning 70-32. Brittany Morrow had a double-double, with 19 points and 11 steals.
• It wasn’t easy, but the Scott guys also picked up a win Friday, defeating Monterey 61-58.
• It was a tough night at OHS Gymnasium, as Gatlinburg-Pittman came to town and won a pair against Oneida. The Lady Indians fell to the Highlanders 67-34, while the OHS guys fell 89-57. It was a big night for junior Ben Gilbert, however. He finished with 19 points and nine rebounds and continues to make a splash as he moves into a starting role for the first time in his career.
• Don’t forget that Santa letters to the Independent Herald are due by Dec. 19 at 12 p.m. You can mail them to P.O. Box 4974, Oneida, TN 37841, or email to santa@ihoneida.com. For teachers who are having their students write letters as classroom projects, Word documents are greatly appreciated! Two letter-writers will be randomly drawn (one boy, one girl) to receive $50 cash prizes. The letters will be published in a special edition of the IH on Dec. 22.
• A new edition of VARSITY: The Sports Magazine of the Independent Herald was published yesterday. It contains a wrap-up of sports from the past week.
The Week Ahead
» Monday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
» Monday: Oneida and Scott High will both have home games tonight. The Indians will host Anderson County at 6:30 p.m., while the Highlanders will host Cumberland Gap at 6:30 p.m. to open district play. The Scott game will be broadcast live on the IH Sports Network. (No Oneida broadcast tonight; Tim Smith is out of town.)
» Tuesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
» Tuesday: Pinnacle Resource Center’s food pantry (1513 Jeffers Road, Huntsville) will be open beginning at 10 a.m. There are no income guidelines; however, a photo ID and a piece of mail with a Scott County address are required.
» Tuesday: Roane State Community College will host Disney Community Christmas at its Huntsville campus, located at 410 W.H. Swain Boulevard in Huntsville, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be ornament-making, face-painting, reindeer games, refreshments and much more.
» Tuesday: Boy Scout Troop #333 will meet at the Oneida War Memorial Building on Alberta Street in Oneida beginning at 6 p.m.
» Tuesday: Oneida and Scott High will both have home games again, with Oneida hosting Oakdale and Scott hosting Kingston. Tipoffs are at 6:30 p.m. The Scott game will be broadcast on the IH Sports Network.
» Tuesday: Wall Builders will meet from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) for those struggling with addiction or striving to keep off drugs. There will be preaching, teaching, food, fellowship and personal counseling.
» Tuesday: Alcoholics Anonymous meets at the Highway 27 Unity Club in Oneida at 7 p.m.. For more information: highway27unityclub.com.
» Wednesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
» Thursday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
» Thursday: The Gerry McDonald Mission House, located on Church Avenue, directly behind First United Methodist Church, is open from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Thursday mornings, except on the first Thursday of the month, hours are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.. You are eligible to receive food once per month. Operating procedures have been modified in order to comply with governmental requests for social distancing. For more information or requirements, call the church office at (423) 569-8828.
» Thursday: Narcotics Anonymous meets at the Highway 27 Unity Club in Oneida at 7 p.m. For more information: highway27unityclub.com.
» Friday: Oneida will travel to Coalfield for a 6:30 p.m. start, while Scott High will host Union County for a 6:30 p.m. start. Both games will be broadcast on the IH Sports Network, with the Baby J’s Pizza Pregame Report beginning at 6:15 p.m.
Have a great week! Our next newsletter will be The Weekender, published Friday morning. We will not publish an E-Edition this week, as we celebrate Thanksgiving. — Sam Voss, IH
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