Couple Rounds of Storms Coming Later Today

Wednesday Morning Forecast Update for February 8th

Most of us topped the 70° mark on Tuesday but the warmer weather will set the stage for multiple rounds of storms on today. Overall, the severe weather threat is low (1/5) across West Tennessee, but some stronger storms will be possible in the afternoon and a line of storms will come by overnight. We will have the latest forecast timing on the potential storms and let you know how cold things are going to get behind the front coming up here.

TODAY:

The warmer weather will continue on Wednesday but as the cold front gets a little closer, some storm activity could fire up into the afternoon and evening hours. Rain showers and some storms are coming, but overall the severe weather threat as of now is just a marginal risk (1/5) for most of West Tennessee. We could see the risk upgraded to a (2/5) for areas south of Jackson, but we will see what future forecasts show over the next 24 hours.

The storms are expected to come in a few rounds during the day. After a few morning showers the first round of storms will be possible in the afternoon and evening hours. These will impact less people than the late night storms but the early ones will have the potential to be the strongest if they do develop. There is a chance for a tornado, but they are not likely on Wednesday. Some hail is possible as well as strong winds gusting up to 60 MPH.

The late night storms are more likely to impact most of West Tennessee but look to be less likely to be severe. The late line could show up as early as 10pm and last until around sunrise Thursday morning across the Tennessee River. Expect gusty winds with these overnight storms up to 50 MPH. Some of the areas that get hit with multiple storms could end up having some minor flooding issues as up to 3″ of rain could be possible in some areas.

Highs on Wednesday will again reach the mid 60s and overnight lows will drop down to around 50°. The winds will come out of the southeast but should shift to the northwest overnight as the front begins to move through. Most of the rain will have moved out by sunrise Thursday morning. Clouds will be thick during the majority of the day.

THURSDAY:

A few early morning showers could linger into the day on Thursday but we should be dry for most of the day. Expect mostly cloudy skies to start but there will be a few breaks in the clouds at times into the afternoon. Highs on Thursday will reach the upper 50s before falling during the day and down to around 40° by Friday morning. The winds will come out of the west during the day and out of the northwest into Thursday night.

FRIDAY:

The trickiest forecast this week so far looks like it is going to be on Friday. The cold front to bring the mid week rain is connected to a large low pressure system that could drift far enough south late in the week to bring one last push of showers our way. If it does, depending on the timing, there is a chance for a brief wintry mix or light snow showers or just a cold rain. But overall confidence in that happening right now is low. Chances sit at 30% currently for showers on Friday; but we will be watching the forecast closely this week as the system gets a little closer. Highs on Friday will only reach the mid to upper 40s and Friday night lows will dip down below freezing to around 30°. Mostly to partly cloudy skies are expected on Friday.

THE WEEKEND:

The sun finally is going to come back out this weekend due to high pressure moving back on in. But the high pressure is going to sit to our north keeping a brisk northerly breeze around on Saturday keeping the temperature down. Highs on Saturday will only make it to the low to mid 40s with Saturday night lows falling back down into the 20s again. The winds will shift back to the south on Sunday starting a warming trend again but we should see more clouds on Sunday as well. Highs on Sunday will make it back up into the 50s and Sunday night lows will fall down to around 40° staying above freezing. We are NOT expecting any rain or snow this upcoming weekend.

FINAL THOUGHT:

After the coldest Christmas in decades here in West Tennessee, warmer weather returned for the start of the new year, but some cooler weather will move in to wrap up the month and stick around into February.  The next chance for rain and storms is coming in the middle of this week, no winter storms are currently in the forecast but some flurries could be possible Friday. 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.

Brian Davis
Storm Team 7 Meteorologist

Twitter – @Brian7wbbj
Facebook – Briandaviswbbj
Email – Badavis@wbbjtv.com