Storm Threat Returns Saturday, Please Stay Weather Aware!
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update:
STORM THREAT ON SATURDAY! A humid and charged up atmosphere will be in place Saturday across West Tennessee. We have seen some light rain showers tonight and a few will linger overnight. It will be a warm, windy and humid night across the Mid South which will increase the storm threat on Saturday. We could see a couple of rogue storms in the morning but a line of winds storms will move through between 1-5pm across West Tennessee. A tornado or hail storm cannot be ruled out either. Please stay weather aware on Saturday and join WBBJ on TV and online tomorrow for updates during the storms. All hands will be on deck in the 7 Storm Team Weather Center tomorrow.
The storms will be moving quickly to the northeast and they will be strong. Gusty winds will be the main threat but a tornado or two and some hail could also develop with some of the stronger cells. We will have the latest breakdown of the event and the rest of your forecast coming up here.
TONIGHT:
Friday was a mild, dry day and a transition day between two storm systems. The winds picked up in the afternoon and we saw 10-15 MPH southwest winds with higher gusts late in the day as Saturday’s storm system begins to get a little closer tonight. Highs on Friday made it up into the low 60s. We will see clouds increasing tonight but the day did start out with a little bit of sunshine. Friday night lows will stay warm due to the increase in clouds and winds and Saturday morning will start in the mid to upper 50s. We are expecting some isolated storms overnight but they are not expected to be severe. A few stronger cells may try to develop in the early morning hours on Saturday.
THE WEEKEND:
It will be a warm and humid start to the weekend as gusty southerly winds will increase the dew point up near 60° juicing up the atmosphere just in time for an approaching low pressure system. This setup will look to bring severe weather back to the Mid South and possibly West Tennessee during the day on Saturday.
We need to stay weather aware as the potential for severe weather with this system looks to be the highest we have seen in a few months for some areas. The Storm Prediction Center has put almost all of West Tennessee Under a (2 out of 5) a slight risk for severe storms. The tornado threat is also around 5% for the entire Mid South as well. Straight line winds appear to be the main threat but up to nickel size hail and a tornado or two cannot be ruled out.
Highs on Saturday will make it into the mid 60s with Saturday night lows dropping to the upper 30s behind the front. The showers may linger into early Sunday morning but most of us will be dry by Sunday afternoon. Sunday highs will only make it up to the mid to upper 40s and Sunday night lows will dip down near or below freezing again. The winds will be windy on Saturday out of the south and remain a bit breezy on Sunday and come out of the northwest. By the time the rain moves out Sunday morning, a widespread 1/2 to 2″ of rain will have moved through helping out big-time with the current drought conditions across the region.
NEXT WEEK:
Next week will start out cool and below normal on Monday with highs only reaching the low to mid 50s, after starting out in the low 30s. We are expecting mostly sunny skies on Monday but a few more clouds will move in during the middle the week. The next front could move through on Wednesday. Highs on Tuesday and Wednesday will make it back up to the upper 50s or low 60s with morning lows staying in the mid 30s. The winds are forecast to come out of the south or southwest early in the week until the mid week front passes. The front as of now does not look impressive and we are not expecting much if any rain from that system as of now.
FINAL THOUGHT:
The greatest threat for severe weather in a few months looks to be heading for the Mid South this weekend. As of now it appears the greatest threat will be from Memphis to the southwest into Arkansas but we are still expecting some big storms in the afternoon in West Tennessee as well. It is also a very strong and big system, so although we may not get the worst of it, strong storms still look likely on Saturday, especially south of I-40. Severe weather for us looks more likely than not as of now on Saturday. Please stay weather aware and monitor the forecast this week as the storm system gets closer.
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
