Warm & Breezy Weather Through Christmas, Record Highs Expected!
Thursday Night Forecast Update
Thursday Night Forecast Update for December 23rd:
Temperatures are about 15° warmer Thursday then Wednesday due to breezy southerly winds impacting West Tennessee. Winds will gust over 30 MPH on Friday and Saturday with records highs expected on Christmas. Plenty of clouds and warm weather will linger into the middle of next week when some showers and storms could return.
Santa will be flying through breezy and warm conditions in West Tennessee on Friday night (Christmas Eve). Short term forecast models are hinting at a very slight chance for a quick shower Saturday night (Christmas Day) as a weak front will stall out across the region. Most of us will see a better chance for rain next week and possibly a few storms.
We will talk more about your holiday weekend forecast and have the latest on rain and storm chances returning to the region coming up here.
Chances for a White Christmas in West Tennessee is about 10% on average and we have not had one since 2004 in Jackson. In 2004, Jackson received 3″ of snow on December 23rd and there was still 2″ on the ground on Christmas that year. We have a better chance of seeing a top 10 warmest Christmas this year for 2021.
TONIGHT:
Clouds will increase tonight and it will remain breezy across West Tennessee. Winds will stay between 10-15 MPH overnight and by the morning temperatures are expected to fall down to around 50°.
CHRISTMAS EVE:
Breezy southerly winds will warm West Tennessee back into the upper 60s on Friday. Winds could gust over 30 MPH at times so Santa might have a challenging night trying to land on chimneys across the region, but he should be ok. There is also a slight chance Santa is dodging some showers and weak storms Friday evening but we are not expecting severe weather at this time, but we will be keeping a close eye on the forecast as the week progresses. Friday night lows will only dip into the low 60s.
CHRISTMAS:
The front coming by on Christmas will drop temperatures a few degrees across West Tennessee for Christmas night and the front is not expected to have a big impact on our temperatures as it moves through. We should stay dry by sunrise on Christmas and highs will still reach the low 70s. We will see one of the top 5 warmest Christmas on record in Jackson depending on the strength and timing of the late week cold front we could set a new record. Partly cloudy skies and breezy winds are expected on Saturday. Warmer and above normal weather is expected for the following couple of days after the holiday. Some showers could return next Tuesday, but the overall confidence in next week’s forecast is currently low.
NEXT WEEK:
Highs next week are expected to continue to be 15-20° above normal through Wednesday. Some cooler weather could move in after the front passes on Wednesday. Some showers and weak storms are expected to return for some of us late Tuesday into Thursday morning but the overall timing and strength of the storms as of now is up for discussion. We could potentially be seeing some stronger storms or severe weather, so we will be watching the forecast closely around the beginning of next week for more details. Winds will stay out of the south and remain breezy until Thursday when the winds are expected to weaken some and shift from the south to the north.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Winter has officially started here in West Tennessee but we currently do not have any legit signs of snow in the forecast as we finish 2021 and start 2022. There could be a few chances for severe weather though as we start 2022. 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
