Record Highs Tuesday, Storms Back on Wednesday
Tuesday Night Forecast Update
Tuesday Night Forecast Update for April 4th:
After analyzing the forecast data tonight, it appears to me our tornado threat is low on Wednesday (It isn’t ZERO though). A line of gusty wind storms will cross the Mississippi River between a little after noon and move across West Tennessee during the afternoon. Storms will linger into the evening hours too. As the cold front slows down heavy rain showers will hang around east of Jackson Wednesday night before clearing out by Thursday morning.
Not too often you set a high temperature record under cloudy skies but that was the case today. It was the warmest day of 2023 so far. The humidity is making it feel close to 90°. The next round of storms is coming Wednesday afternoon/evening and some could be strong or severe. A tornado or two cannot be ruled out but we are NOT expecting anything like what we saw last Friday. We will have the latest thoughts on the timing of the Wednesday storm threat and we will let you know how long the rain could linger into the day on Thursday coming up here.
TONIGHT:
Tuesday was the warmest day of the year so far with most of us reaching the mid 80s. We set a high temperature record in Jackson, beating the previous record in 1988. It was also be windy on Tuesday with southwest winds between 15-20 MPH and the windy conditions will continue tonight across West Tennessee. Tuesday night lows will only fall down to the upper 60s to near 70° due to the high humidity across the Mid South.
WEDNESDAY:
The greatest chance for severe weather this week looks to be coming on Wednesday. We are not expecting anything like what we saw last Friday but some severe storms and even a tornado or two cannot be ruled out. The storms will return in the late afternoon and evening and move to the west as the evening progresses.
Some could stick around into the early overnight hours as well, especially near the Tennessee River. Right now we are under a enhanced (3/5) risk for severe storms and a 5% tornado risk for most of us.
Wednesday highs will reach the mid to upper 70s and Wednesday night lows will fall down to the mid to upper 40s behind the cold front. It will be windy most of the day with the winds changing from the southwest to the north as the front passes Wednesday night. A wind advisory has been issued from 4am-4pm for Wednesday.
THURSDAY:
Thursday will be a little cooler behind Wednesday nights cold front. Highs on Thursday will reach the upper 50s and Thursday night will be a cool again with lows back down in the mid 40s. We will stay out of the 30s and have probably seen our last freeze this Spring. The winds will come out of the north all day long and we are not expecting any showers in the afternoon or evening and should be dry by sunrise Thursday morning across West Tennessee. A few lingering showers could continue along the Mississippi State border, predominately in places like Hardin county. The clouds will move out some into the afternoon making for a partly cloudy day.
FRIDAY:
Friday looks to be a little warmer than Thursday with highs reaching the low to mid 60s. We are still expecting dry conditions on Friday as the winds will continue to come out of the north. Friday night lows will fall down to around 50°. The winds could shift back to the east or southeast as we get going overnight and into the upcoming weekend. Mostly cloudy skies are expected for most of the day.
THE WEEKEND:
The weekend looks mostly dry as of now and although a shower or two cannot be ruled out, we are not expecting any storm activity or anything of concern for Easter Weekend. Highs on Saturday will be in the mid to upper 60s and Easter Sunday highs will reach the low 70s. We are expecting the winds to come out of the east most of the day Saturday and back to the southeast on Sunday. Both weekend morning we should be around 50°. Sunday night lows will fall in the mid 50s as we head into Monday morning. Skies will remain mostly cloudy over the weekend although there will be the occasional peaks of sunshine both days.
FINAL THOUGHT:
March started out chilly but the humidity and warmer weather returned by the end of month leading to a regional tornado outbreak March 31st. The next chance for rain and storms is coming on Tuesday/Wednesday, no winter storms are currently in the forecast and we have likely seen our last freeze of the Spring. 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
