Showers Continue Tonight, 70s on the Way, Storm Threat Friday
Tuesday Night Forecast Update
Tuesday Night Forecast Update for March 21st:
Strong evaporative cooling has lead to some isolated sleet and graupel pockets this afternoon across West Tennessee. A stalled out warm front will slowly lift to the north tonight keeping scattered rain showers around into the morning across West Tennessee. We will be dry Wednesday afternoon through Friday evening and highs will warm back into the 70s during the back half of the week; setting the stage for a storm threat on Friday. If you are wondering what evaporative cooling is… it is basically the loss of energy from a surface as a liquid on it changes phases to a gas, resulting in a lower temperature.
With the threat for severe weather coming back on Friday, I thought I would just give everyone a reminder that our most dangerous weather typically occurs during the springtime.
Today marks the 71st anniversary of the deadly tornado outbreak that claimed 233 lives including 23 in Chester county in 1952.
We will be watching the situation closely in the 7 Storm Team Weather Center as the system gets closer.
TONIGHT:
Showers returned Tuesday afternoon and will linger into the overnight hours. Expect cloudy skies for the majority of the night. It will remain a bit breezy and the winds will be out of the southeast. Most of the rain tonight will be north of Jackson. Tuesday night lows will dip down to the mid 40s.
WEDNESDAY:
A few showers could linger into the early morning hours on Wednesday but we are expecting a dry afternoon and evening. Mostly cloudy skies will stick around though under the warm front. South winds will warm us up to the upper 60s and the humidity will increase some into the afternoon as well. Wednesday night lows will only fall down to around 60° due to the increasing dew point and residual gulf moisture.
THURSDAY:
Thursday looks to be a mostly dry day but we can’t rule out a few showers late Thursday night into Friday morning. Thursday will be a very Spring like warm and humid day with high temperatures reaching the mid 70s. The winds will be breezy at times and come out of the southwest. Skies will be partly cloudy in the afternoon but will increase as the evening progresses. Thursday night lows will also be warm and only fall down to the mid 60s.
FRIDAY:
Friday will bring a return of the thunderstorms to West Tennessee and there will be a threat for severe storms into the evening and nighttime hours. The main severe weather threat looks to be in our southern counties but we will be watching the situation closely this week in the 7 Storm Team Weather Center.
Highs on Friday will reach the low to mid 70s and mostly cloudy skies are likely. There could be some early day showers but it will be the late stuff that we need to be more concerned about. The winds will be gusty at times and continue out of the southwest until Saturday morning when the front passes. Friday night lows will drop back to the low 50s.
THE WEEKEND:
The first weekend on Spring will be borderline Spring like. Expect mostly sunny skies this weekend across West Tennessee. Highs will reach the low 60s on Saturday and upper 60s on Sunday. Temperatures will be warmer on Sunday as the northwest winds on Saturday will be replaced by southeast winds. Saturday night will be a bit chilly with morning lows falling down to the mid 40s for Sunday morning. Sunday night will be a bit warmer due to the southerly winds and only fall down to low 50s again. There could be some showers trying to return as we kick off next week as well.
FINAL THOUGHT:
After a very warm month of February, March is turning out to be the exact opposite and being below normal. The next chance for rain and storms is coming late this week, no winter storms are currently in the forecast but in will be a little cooler again 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
