Tornado Watch Until 10 PM Tonight for Sections of West Tennessee!
Wednesday Evening Forecast Update
Wednesday Evening Forecast Update for March 1st:
We are still tracking some gusty storms in Hardeman, McNairy and Hardin counties during the 7PM hour and a few stronger and rotating storms are continuing tonight in Arkansas. Those storms are racing to the east tonight around 60 MPH and still could impact West Tennessee through 11PM. If you are north of Jackson your severe storm threat appears to be done for tonight. If you are south of Madison county you still are in the target zone for storms this evening.
A tornado watch has been issued for the southern half of West Tennessee this evening until 10 PM. Storms will begin to fire up as early as 5 PM across our viewing area. Please stay weather aware tonight and stay with WBBJ online, on TV and over our radio broadcast partners during the event for more information.
The storm prediction center added Jackson to the enhanced risk for severe storms this evening. The storms could show up as early as 5PM and last until midnight (7-10PM looks like the greatest time concern). We are under a 10% tornado risk in Jackson and a large tornado could be possible. Showers and storms will linger overnight. We should get a break while the sun is up on Thursday before our next threat shows up between sunset Thursday through sunrise Friday morning. Please stay weather aware and take these threats seriously folks. We will have all hands on deck in the 7 Storm Team Weather Center throughout the events. We will also have a full update and will be tracking the storms tonight on 7 Eyewitness newscasts.
TONIGHT:
The first of two stormy days started on Wednesday when some evening storms will return to our area. We are under a enhanced risk (3/5) for Jackson and areas to the south of the Hub City. We are expecting some big storms with the potential of a couple tornadoes to move through between 5-11PM tonight.
Highs on Wednesday reached the mid 70s and clouds increased as the day went on. Expect mostly cloudy skies and the winds will be a bit breezy at times and remain out of the southwest until the front passes later tonight. Wednesday night lows will stay warm as the humid conditions will only allow overnight lows to fall into the upper 50s.
THURSDAY:
Thursday is shaping up to be a very tricky day to forecast for the Mid South. Skies will remain mostly cloudy during the day but a few peaks of sunshine will also be possible at times. The winds will start out of the east on the backside of Wednesday’s system but will return to the southwest late in the day as the next system gets a little closer.
Expect another windy afternoon and evening as the system approaches. Highs on Thursday will reach the mid to upper 60s. with overnight lows falling down to the low 50s. The first chance for showers and storms will move through around noon as the warm front lifts to the north.
A severe storm threat also looks to return late Thursday into Friday morning for West Tennessee but a potential tornado outbreak could impact our neighbors to the south so we need to watch this system closely. If the forecast shifts to the north some we could see some significant storms in our area. Regardless of who sees the worst weather across the Mid South from this system, we are still going to be impacted by some pretty nasty storms as the system moves through.
FRIDAY:
Some early morning and storms still could be sticking around of the first half of the day on Friday before the storm system races off to the east. Some of the storms could be strong overnight Thursday into Friday morning, so don’t let your guard down until this system clears out. Highs on Friday will be a little cooler reaching the mid to upper 50s behind the cold front. The winds on Friday will start out of the southwest and turn to the northwest after the front passes in the morning hours. We could be looking at some very windy weather again during the day on Friday. Friday night lows will return to the 30s and the skies will clear out by Friday night.
THE WEEKEND:
We are expecting a very normal first weekend on March across West Tennessee. We are expecting dry weather with highs only reaching the 50s. Sunday is expected to be warmer than Saturday by a few degrees. Both morning we are expecting to start out in the 30s but the current forecast keeps us above freezing both days. Expect mostly sunny skies this weekend as well. The winds will come out of the northwest on Saturday and out of the northeast on Sunday. The winds will shift back to the south on Monday starting a warming trend again across the region.
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 this week, no winter storms are currently in the forecast but in will be a little cooler on 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.
Storm Team Chief Meteorologist
Joel Barnes
Facebook: @JoelBarnesWeather
Twitter: @JoelBarnes13
Instagram: @joelbarnes13
