Rain Showers Back Tonight, Warm Up Coming this Weekend
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update:
After starting out around 30°, we only warmed up to around 50° today in West Tennessee. Rain showers will be returning tonight, but we are not expecting a wintry mix or any thunderstorms this time. Southerly winds will begin to warm us back up this weekend and storm chances will return early next week. Catch the latest on tonight’s rain and find out when the mid 70s will be coming back right here.
So far on the year we have been above normal on rainfall. We were close to 2″ above in January and although we are above in February, we are going to end up being pretty close to a normal month. The excess rain is needed after an extremely dry last 4 months of 2023. More rain is coming tonight and March is going to start out quite wet we believe as well.
SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK:
THURSDAY IS GENERAL THUNDERSTORM SAFETY:
This week is severe weather awareness week in Tennessee, Thursday is general thunderstorm safety. Do you know how the NWS classifies a severe thunderstorm? Know when to take action if severe storms occur. The Storm Prediction Center issues Severe Weather Outlooks. We use these outlooks to describe the overall threat of severe weather for the local area. Do you know what the differences are between the categories? Know the difference between a watch and a warning. Know when to take action. Be prepared not scared.
Severe thunderstorms are officially defined as storms that are capable of producing hail that is an inch or larger or wind gusts over 58 mph. Hail this size can damage property such as plants, roofs and vehicles. Wind this strong is able to break off large branches, knock over trees or cause structural damage to trees. Some severe thunderstorms can produce hail larger than softballs or winds over 100 mph, so please pay attention to the weather so you know when severe storms are possible. Thunderstorms also produce tornadoes and dangerous lightning; heavy rain can cause flash flooding.
TONIGHT:
Thursday to started out chilly, most of us were a few degrees below freezing before warming up to around 50° into the afternoon. We saw mostly cloudy skies on Thursday and a light breeze out of the east. The clouds will stick around tonight but the winds will weaken and vary in direction around a low pressure system. There will be some cold rain showers moving back in late Thursday night, but we are not expecting storms or a wintry mix this time, just a cold rain. Overnight lows are forecast to fall down to the upper 30s Thursday night when the rain is coming down which will be just a few degrees to warm for anything but rain. Chances for rain is 80% tonight across West Tennessee.
FRIDAY:
We will see a round of cold rain showers Friday morning but they should taper off into the afternoon and we will be dry Friday evening across West Tennessee. Rain chances early Friday currently sit around 70%. Highs on Friday will be a little warmer than on Thursday and make it up to the low to mid 50s. The reason for the warm up will be the winds changing back to the southeast late into the afternoon. Expect mostly cloudy skies on Friday and Friday night lows will dip down to the mid 40s as some warmer and more humid will move back in just in time for the upcoming weekend.
THE WEEKEND:
The warm up will continue this weekend due to the southerly winds returning across West Tennessee. Highs will make it up into the upper 60s on Saturday and some mid 70s will return on Sunday. We are expecting a mix of sun and clouds this weekend, but in general I expect more clouds than sun. The winds will be a bit breezy at times and keep a southerly component to them all weekend long. There could be a couple of spotty showers on Sunday but we are not expecting much and definitely no threat for severe storms. Saturday night will be warm in the low 50s and Sunday night will be even warmer with temperatures only falling down to around 60° to start next week. The next front will pass early next week and could bring some storms with it. We will keep an eye on it as the weekend gets closer.
NEXT WEEK:
We are looking at another warm start to next week across West Tennessee. Highs will start out in the mid 70s on Monday before cooling a little bit in the middle of the week. A cold front will come by late Monday night or early Tuesday bringing rain showers and potentially some storms as well. The severe weather threat at this time looks low, but that could change as the system gets closer. Expect mostly cloudy skies for at least the first half of the week. The winds will shift from the south to the northeast early on Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday highs will not be too bad behind the front, and should still make it up to the low to mid 60s. Morning lows will range from the mid 40s as well during the middle of the week behind the front.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Long term forecast models are suggesting a warm finish to the month of February and a warm start to March. Spring is a little less than 3 weeks away and starts on March 19th this year. As the warmer weather moves in, we might be transitioning to more of a severe weather threat than a cold and snowy one for the last few weeks of Winter. The next chance for storms is coming in next Monday night next week, but the upcoming weekend is looking pretty nice though.
For tips on preparing for the storms, click here. To download the WBBJ 7 Weather app, click here.
Storm Team Chief Meteorologist
Joel Barnes
Facebook: @JoelBarnesWeather
Twitter: @JoelBarnes13
Instagram: @joelbarnes13
