Warm, Windy & Wet Weather Coming this Week!
Monday Night Forecast Update
Monday Night Forecast Update for February 20th:
We are tracking some rain showers developing along a slow moving front from between Bolivar an Waynesboro tonight. They will move to the south slowly tonight impacting Selmer and Savannah. The rain will stay south of Henderson. More rain and storms are in the forecast on Wednesday.
We are expecting a pretty warm week across West Tennessee with record highs expected on Wednesday. The record is 73° and it is going to fall, the question is, will we make it up to 80°. Some showers and a few storms may try to return Wednesday evening/night as well. The next front will pass on Thursday. We will let you know who cold things are going to get behind the front plus the latest on some showers chances returning into the weekend, all coming up here.
SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK:
This week is severe weather awareness week in Tennessee, Monday is FLOOD safety! Do you know the difference between a Flood Watch and a Flood Warning? Here are 3 steps you and your family can take to ensure safety during flash flooding events. Water is more powerful than you think. Turn around, don’t drown.
TONIGHT:
Skies will remain mostly cloudy tonight as a weak stationary front will slowly be pushed to the south. The winds will vary in direction as the front slides through. We are not expecting any rain but a quick sprinkle shower cannot be ruled out. Overnight lows will drop down to around 50° and could be a little cooler up the further north you live.
TUESDAY:
Tuesday we will see that front be pushed back up to the north of high pressure around the Gulf of Mexico will bring southerly winds back into the afternoon. This will warm temperatures back up to the mid to upper 60s. Skies will remain mostly cloudy and although a quick shower or two cannot be ruled out, most of us will not see anything falling from the sky on Tuesday. Tuesday night lows will be warm due to the increase in our dew point and only fall to the low 60s.
WEDNESDAY:
Wednesday we are going to set some record highs across the Mid South including here in Jackson. The record is 73° set back in 2000 and we are expected temperatures to be close to 80° into the afternoon. The warm weather will usher in a late storm threat across West Tennessee. We are not expecting widespread severe weather but as of now, areas from Jackson to Memphis are under a marginal (1/5) risk for severe storms.
Wednesday night lows will remain warm and only fall to the mid 60s. The winds will stay out of the southwest and be quite windy most of the day. Expect gusts to get near 40 MPH at times in the afternoon and evening hours. A wind advisory will likely be issued by the NWS.
THURSDAY:
Thursday will start out warm but the cold front is expected to pass by sometime late into the afternoon or early evening hours dropping the temperatures. We should reach the mid 70s though before the front passes. We will not be setting the high temperature record on Thursday as it is 81°. We should be dry most of the day on Thursday and expect partly cloudy skies. As the front passes we cannot rule out a brief shower but I wouldn’t count on seeing much. Thursday night lows will fall to the upper 30s behind the front. The winds will change from the west to the northeast during the evening and will be quite breezy most of the day.
FRIDAY:
Friday highs will reach up around 50° and Friday night lows will fall to the mid 40s. We are expecting another disturbance to show up on Friday but depending on what side of the frontal boundary we are on will determine how warm temperatures are going to be. There is a chance we could be warmer or cooler than 50° depending on where the late system shows up. Rain showers are expected to return regardless of where the system sets up as both case scenarios will bring rain to West Tennessee. The winds as of now are forecast to be out of the northeast and be light most of the day.
THE WEEKEND:
The weekend as of now looks like it is going to start out quite rainy. Rain showers are likely on Saturday but should clear out sometime during the morning on Sunday. Highs on Saturday will reach the mid 50s and like the previous few weekends, Sunday will be warmer than Saturday with highs reaching the mid 60s. The winds will come out of the northwest on Saturday and shift to the west or southwest by Sunday afternoon. Lows this weekend are forecast to fall down near the mid 50s both nights.
FINAL THOUGHT:
After the coldest Christmas in decades here in West Tennessee, warmer weather returned for the start of the new year, and has stayed above normal most of the month of February. The next chance for rain and storms is coming in the middle of next week, no winter storms are currently in the forecast but in will be a little cooler on Friday and again to start this weekend. 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
