Warmer Weather on the Way, Soggy Christmas Looking Likely
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update:
We dipped down to 17° this morning at the airport in Jackson making for the coldest weather all fall and most of West Tennessee fell down to 19-20°. Winter officially kicks off Thursday night. We have some warmer weather trying to move back in and an increase in humidity that will fuel some rain showers this weekend. There is a chance for a few storms to mix in on Christmas Eve. Catch the latest forecast and a detailed look into the upcoming weekend weather right here.
We are still under a severe drought for most of West Tennessee and Jackson is remaining one of the hardest hit places. Jackson has seen below normal rainfall each month since August and is now about 8 below on the year. Jackson has seen less than 20% of its normal rainfall as well for the month of December.
Out at the airport in Jackson since September 1st, less than 5″ has fallen compared to around 15″ during a normal year. That is about 1/3 of what we normally get over those 100+ days. There does appear to be some rain on the way though this weekend.
TONIGHT:
The cooler weather stuck around all day again on Tuesday. Highs only reached the mid 40s for most of the region. Sunny skies though also stuck around for the last time this week as more clouds will be moving in as the week goes on. The winds were calm or light out of the south for the most part as high pressure moved directly over us on Tuesday. Tuesday night lows will drop to the upper 20s and be a bit warmer than Monday night as the winds shifted back to the south. Rain is not in the forecast on Tuesday night.
WEDNESDAY:
More clouds will move in during the day on Wednesday and we will call it a partly cloudy day and a mostly cloudy night. Highs on Wednesday will reach back up into the low to mid 50s due to the southerly winds returning to the Mid South. Wednesday night lows will be a bit cool dropping down near freezing into the low 30s. Rain showers will stay away again on Wednesday.
THURSDAY:
Thursday will be a mostly cloudy day, but we are still not expecting any rain showers to return to West Tennessee. Highs on Thursday will be a bit warmer than Wednesday and make it up into the mid 50s at least for all of us. The winds will stay light and come out of the south during the day. Thursday night lows will stay above freezing and only drop to the upper 30s as we get going into the day on Friday. By the way, Winter starts officially on Thursday December 21st. This is when the winter solstice will occur and the early will start to tilt back to the north. Thursday will be the day with the least amount of sun this year in the northern hemisphere where we all live.
FRIDAY:
The next system will get a little closer on Friday. That will allow the winds to kick up a bit but they will stay out of the south keeping temperatures above normal again. Highs will approach the 60° mark into the afternoon and overnight lows will only dip into the mid 40s. We are expecting a mostly cloudy day and although a brief shower or two cannot be ruled out late, rain showers will not impact many of us with rain chances sitting only around 10%.
CHRISTMAS EVE WEEKEND:
Rain showers are likely on Christmas Eve on Sunday and a few showers will drift in on Saturday as well. We could see a few storms on Sunday but as of now, we are not expecting this to become a severe weather concern but we will be keeping an eye on the situation as the week progresses. Highs this weekend are forecast to be around 60° with lows staying warm near 50° for both weekend nights. The reason the overnight temperatures will stay well above normal will be due to the increase in humidity and return on the gulf moisture due to a steady breeze out of the southeast. We will not see much of the sun this weekend as cloudy skies are expected for most of the Mid South. Rain chances are 30% on Saturday and 70% on Sunday. Rain also looks likely on Christmas day as well on the back side of the storm system before it moves out.
FINAL THOUGHT:
After a round of severe weather in the middle of December, our next chance for a few storms will return this weekend. As of now, the setup doesn’t look overly concerning for West Tennessee but we really need the rain badly. We saw the coldest morning of the fall on Tuesday with many folks dropping into the teens for the first time this season. Although we are not expecting snow for Christmas, it seems highly likely that we are looking at a wet and soggy holiday weekend leading into Christmas.
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
