Severe Weather Possible Tuesday

February 1, 2016

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

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Weather Update – 11:00 p.m. Monday

A Wind Advisory has been issued for all of West Tennessee on Tuesday with a possibility for winds to be gusting up to 40 or even 50 miles per hour. We’ll experience the strongest gusts from the later hours of the morning through the afternoon and evening.

A cold front is moving east toward West Tennessee currently located across parts of the southern Central Plains. This cold front is forecast to bring a sharp drop in temperatures to West Tennessee from Tuesday through Thursday morning. However, when it arrives, it could bring strong to severe thunderstorms to the area.

The biggest question that remains, is will there be enough energy for severe weather to take place? If we get showers and perhaps an isolated thunderstorm in the morning, this could significantly lower the risk for severe weather tomorrow. If that’s the case, our threat for tornadoes and large hail will be low but we could still see localized events of damaging winds.

If there is a sufficient amount of energy for severe weather, then we’ll have a low to medium risk for tornadoes and large hail with a medium to high risk for damaging winds and a medium risk for flash flooding. The main threat for severe weather will take place from the early afternoon through the evening but will be over by midnight Tuesday night.

Right now, confidence in where tornadoes will take place is lower than when we previously looked at the forecast but we’re confident that the main threat for damaging winds will be east of a line from Martin to Memphis.

Either way, Tuesday will be a warm and windy day with a likely chance for rain. West Tennessee could get between a half and a whole inch of rain with areas near the Tennessee River possibly receiving more. Once the cold front comes through, temperatures will drop quickly with highs in the 40s and low 50s later this week.