KINGSPORT -- Clear skies and warmer temperatures are expected to return to Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia Friday after the region was covered with anywhere from six-inches to a foot of snow Thursday.
The National Weather Service in Morristown said area temperatures are expected to be near or just below seasonal normals Friday, with a high of 41 degrees forecast for Kingsport.
The higher temperatures should help improve road conditions, weather officials said, with dry weather in the region's forecast for the coming week.
Although snow quit falling in the region by early Thursday evening, motorist in the Tri-Cities woke up Friday morning to treacherous driving conditions thanks to snow and ice-covered roadways.
As of Friday morning, the Tennessee Department of Transportation was advising motorists to drive with caution since patches of snow and ice could still be found on I-81, Memorial Drive, Fort Henry Drive, Sullivan Gardens Parkway and Highway 75, among other routes.
Main city roads appeared to be in good shape, however, as Kingsport road crews spent Thursday night and Friday morning spreading salt and scraping ice.
Interstate 26 is clear, although caution is recommended driving there because there are nearly 100 stranded vehicles still off the sides of the interstate as of 11 a.m.
I-26 was nearly impassable Thursday night, with many motorists reporting commutes of two to four hours just to drive between Kingsport and Johnson City as the heavy snow was falling.
In Southwest Virginia, state police responded to 109 traffic incidents due to snow and ice covered roads Thursday evening.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, primary routes in Russell, Washington, Tazewell, Buchanan, Dickenson, Scott and Lee counties have scattered snow and ice patches, while many secondary routes in those areas remain snow-covered.
VDOT spokeswoman Michelle Earl said main roads in Wise County remain snow-covered and slick. Earl said unnecessary travel is not recommended since secondary routes in Wise County are hazardous.
Earl said the majority of primary routes in Scott County also have snow-covered sections and remain slick, while secondary routes there are snow-covered.
In addition to impacting road conditions, Thursday's heavy snow also caused several power outages across the region.
As of 7 p.m., more than 89,000 Appalachian Power customers were without power, including 72,600 customers in Virginia and another 14,500 in Tennessee.
AEP's website showed that 5,214 customers were without power in Sullivan County Friday morning, with another 1,400 without electricity in Hawkins County.
In Scott County, 4,748 AEP customers were without power Friday morning, followed by 2,033 in Wise County.
Appalachian Power posted on its Twitter account Friday morning that 3,350 line personnel were working to restore power. No estimated restoration times had been released as of 11 a.m. Friday.
Old Dominion Power in Virginia did not have outage numbers available Friday morning.