Storm Threat Tonight & Saturday Afternoon, Snow on Sunday, Frigid Sunday Night
Friday Evening Forecast Update
Friday Evening Forecast Update for December 31st:
We are going to be dodging severe storms tonight between 8 PM and 3 AM, then see a short break before more storms develop Saturday afternoon. All severe weather modes will be in play for both events. Snow showers are expected to fall on Sunday between 10 AM – 5 PM with minimal accumulations. Wind chills are likely to be in the low teens Sunday night into Monday morning. There is a lot to get to in the forecast and find out more details right here.
TONIGHT:
Cloudy skies, breezy and humid conditions will allow thunderstorms to develop tonight as early as 8 PM across West Tennessee and increase in coverage overnight before moving out by 3 AM Saturday morning. All of West Tennessee is under a slight (2/5) risk for severe storms. Lows tonight will fall only into the mid to upper 60s as it will remain warm.
The tornado threat is currently 5% for all of our viewing area. Hail and gusty winds and flooding will potentially be a concern overnight as well, so be to sure stay weather aware before you head out tonight or while you will be at home. Be sure to keep your ringers up on cell phones and download the WBBJ 7 Storm Team weather app so you will be alerted to any significant weather that might be heading your way.
SATURDAY/New Year’s Day:
Forecast models are all in agreement for a significant storm system to impact the Mid South on Saturday. You need to monitor the situation very closely as the week progresses if you have plans on New Year’s Day. An enhanced risk of severe weather has been issued for all of West Tennessee.
We should start out with a break in the storm activity during the mid morning, but some storms could continue before the sun comes up. The next round of storms will be the biggest concern across West Tennessee for the entire event. The storms will show up between 1 PM-7 PM and have the potential of producing tornadoes and very strong straight line winds.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, all of our viewing area is under a 10% chance of a tornado touching down within 25 miles of your location. The black hash marks are issued when the National Weather Service is concerned for the chance for Tornadoes EF-2 or greater tornadoes to potentially to develop in the warned area.
Flash flooding could also end up before a concern, especially for areas north of Madison County. Highs will reach the low 70s before the system and cold front begin to move across the region. Lows Saturday night could fall down to around freezing by sunrise Sunday and temperatures will continue to fall for the back half of the weekend.
SUNDAY:
The coldest weather this fall/winter season looks to be heading our way on Sunday and sticking around into next Monday. Highs will only make it into the 30s Sunday afternoon and Sunday night, the chances to fall into the teens appears to be possible. Brisk northwest winds will also be factor on Sunday making it feel even colder. The winds chill Sunday evening/night and into Monday morning will fall down into the low teens and possibly even single digits at times due to some gusty northwest brisk winds behind the front.
Most of the models are also hinting at some light winter precipitation moving in on the back side of the storm system before it moves out. Most everyone will encounter some snow showers, but models are suggesting any snow accumulations will be minimal with most of us seeing a dusting at most. The snow showers are expected to move through West Tennessee between 10 AM and 5 PM on Sunday. The worst case scenario we have seen showing up in some of the forecast model runs is around 1″ of snow, but that is not as likely of a case as us seeing just a dusting of snow.
We will be watching this situation very closely in the Storm Team Weather Center as the severe weather threat moves out and hope to have a better idea of what we can expect as far as snow chances as the system gets a little closer. The wind chills are expected to be in the teens on Monday morning as well so be sure to find your winter gear if you will be heading out. But we need to get through the severe weather threat first before we focus much attention on the cold and snow. Monday of next week is expected to be cold all day as well.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Winter has officially started here in West Tennessee and we currently could see our first round of winter precipitation and some forecast models are hinting at some snow around the corner. There could be a few chances for severe weather though as we start 2022 as well. 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
