Cold Front Bringing Rain Tonight & Below Freezing Temps Friday Morning
Wednesday Night Forecast Update
Wednesday Night Forecast Update for November 17th:
EARTHQUAKE REPORTED IN MISSOURI FELT IN WEST TENNESSEE.
Initial reports of a 3.7 quake in Southeast Missouri has been felt by some folks in West Tennessee. EDIT: As of 9:30 PM, it was upgraded to a 4.0 quake.
A 4.0 earthquake near Poplar Bluff just before 9 PM was felt in West Tennessee tonight. The shaking is occurring around the same time a cold front is coming through that area. The front will bring rain showers and weak storms to West Tennessee tonight. A big-time drop in temperatures will follow the front on Thursday and Friday. Severe weather is not expected, but below freezing temperatures are coming Friday morning. There is another cold front coming by Sunday and next week could bring in the coldest weather of the season so far. Catch the latest details coming up right here.
TONIGHT:
Clouds will increase tonight and rain showers will move in as early as 10 PM and will hang around all night long. The showers should begin to move out around sunrise. Up to a half inch of rain will be possible, but strong storms are not expected. Some rumbles of thunder, brief heavy rain and some increased wind gusts will be possible though. The winds will remain breezy and change direction from the south to the north as the front passes by. Temperatures will fall down to the mid 40s by the time the sun comes up for most of West Tennessee.
THURSDAY:
Rain showers and weak storms are expected in the early morning hours across West Tennessee for Thursday. Severe weather or strong storms are not expected. But just the like the last couple of fronts, some lightning, increased winds and brief intense heavy rain will be possible.
Temperatures will hang around 60° around midnight and then drop during the day as the winds will change direction from the south to the northwest behind the front. Temperatures will reach the low to mid 50s in the afternoon and the skies will clear out as the day goes on. The rain showers and clouds are also expected to move out during the second half of the day. Overnight lows on Thursday are expected to drop down to around 30° and possibly even some upper 20s.
FRIDAY:
Most of us will start our below freezing on Friday morning. Sunny skies are expected and the winds are likely to come out of the east. Highs will struggle to get above 50° in the afternoon. Friday night football playoffs games are likely to be in the 30s and temperatures will again drop down near freezing by Saturday morning.
THE WEEKEND:
The upcoming weekend will be very similar to the previous one for us in West Tennessee. Saturday morning we should start out around freezing and warm to the upper 50s to low 60s by the afternoon. Saturday will be mostly sunny and during the day the winds will change direction from the east to the south in the afternoon. Clouds will begin to move in late Saturday and the winds should pick up as well depending on the timing of the next system on Sunday. Saturday night lows will fall down into the mid 40s, but that depends on the amount of clouds that will have moved back in by then.
As the next front comes by on Sunday, another round of rain showers will be likely. Just like Thursday morning, severe weather or strong storms is not in the forecast. Highs Sunday should again reach the low 60s before the front passes. Depending on the amount of clouds hanging around Sunday night, lows could fall to the mid 30s again. Winds will stay out of the south until Sunday evening when the front passes. Northwest breezy winds will move on in overnight into Monday morning.
NEXT WEEK:
Highs will only reach the upper 40s for both Monday and Tuesday behind the late weekend cold front. Mostly sunny skies are expected for both Monday and Tuesday and more clouds look to move in during the middle of the week. Tuesday morning could be the coldest morning of the season so far with most of West Tennessee falling down into the mid 20s. Some low 20s cannot be ruled out as of now, so be sure to monitor the forecast if you have pipes that do not do well during extended cold spells. We should stay dry until Thursday next week when the next front could move through.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Not only are we beginning to crawl deeper into the fall season and freezing weather will be coming soon, we are also in our second severe weather season. So you need to stay weather aware to changing weather patterns and monitor the forecasts closely. We got you covered in the WBBJ 7 Storm Team Weather Center as always.
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
