Warm & Humid Thursday, Storms Likely Late Friday!
Wednesday Night Forecast Update
Wednesday Night Forecast Update for March 22nd:
The showers have cleared out and it will be a nice evening and night across West Tennessee. Thursday will be mostly dry, warm and humid. Rain showers will return on Friday with a threat for severe storms in the evening and nighttime hours. Please stay weather aware these could be big storms. We will have the latest on the timing of Friday’s storm event and a look at a mild weekend as well, all coming up here.
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.
Tuesday marked 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:
A few showers lingered into the morning hours Wednesday but we saw a dry afternoon and evening. Mostly cloudy skies will stick around though under the warm front tonight but it will be warm and humid. South winds will be breezy and stick around tonight increasing humidity. 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. Right now we are under a slight (2/5) risk but will likely be upgraded to at least a 3/5 before the event.
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 storms will start in the late evening hours as early as 6PM but there is also a chance they do not show up until closer to 10pm. The later the storms show up, the longer they will be lingering overnight into Friday morning.
There are some flooding concerns with this system but most of the rain amounts over 3″ will stay just to our north into Kentucky and long the Ohio River. There still we be a chance for some isolated flash flooding though in West Tennessee as well, especially for locations that are hit with more that one storm Friday night.
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 to mid 60s on Saturday and upper 60s or low 70s 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.
NEXT WEEK:
We are expecting a spring like week next week in West Tennessee with highs typically being in the 60s with lows in the 40s. Monday will make it up to around 70° into the afternoon but a weak front will slide through late Monday into Tuesday cooling down the temps a bit. Highs on Tuesday will be around 60° and mid 60s will return on Wednesday. There is a chance for a few showers Monday night into Tuesday morning as the front passes but we are not expecting severe weather from that system currently. The winds will change from the west on Monday, to the north on Tuesday and then back to the south again by Wednesday. If the skies clear out Wednesday morning we have a chance to drop back down in the mid 30s, but as of now we are expecting to stay above freezing but it will be close.
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 on Friday, 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
