At about 6:30 AM, the temperature here was 71.4 and we are experiencing scattered rain and strong winds with what seem like 50 MPH gusts. The Weather Service says this will be the high for the day and the temperature will plummet to 45 by the afternoon, with a low of 30 tonight.

Here's the National Weather Service severe weather alert for all of East Tennessee including Knox, Blount, and Anderson:

247 AM CST FRI DEC 1 2006 /347 AM EST FRI DEC 1 2006/

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST /5 PM CST/ THIS AFTERNOON.

SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BECOME WEST TODAY WITH SPEEDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH AND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 45 MPH EXPECTED AT TIMES.

WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT... ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES... SO USE CAUTION WHEN DRIVING. THESE WINDS CAN ALSO CAUSE SOME TREES TO BE BLOWN DOWN.