Scattered Showers & Storm Continue Tonight in West Tennessee
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update:
The cold front sure has been taking its time, but will finally begin to move through West Tennessee starting at 10pm and drift to the southeast overnight. Some brief heavy rain and a few weak storms will be possible as it drifts through. Another system is coming later in the week. We will be tracking the radar and have the latest forecast details on both systems, coming up here.
With as warm as temperatures have been the last few weeks, people are starting to get that itch to start planting, that is NOT a good idea. We still have a couple weeks of winter left and the odds of having another frost is almost 100% and the odds of us having another freeze is also highly likely. We usually do not see our last freeze until the beginning of April and our last frost during the middle of April. If we didn’t see another freeze or frost, that would be record smashing by almost 6 weeks in both cases, so that isn’t going to happen. We will see a couple more cold pushes before Spring officially kicks off so please hold off on those temptations for now!
TONIGHT:
Highs reached the low 70s this afternoon and we will cool down to the mid 50s overnight. A cold front is on the way but will probably not pass through until Wednesday morning. The front will keep a round of rain showers and weak storms around tonight, but we are not expecting severe storms or anything of significance. Chances for rain this evening will be around 60% and most of us will be dry by midnight. Skies were mostly cloudy on Tuesday and will stay that way tonight. The winds were light out of the southeast today and will vary in direction and remain light for most of the night across the region.
WEDNESDAY:
There could be some lingering showers or weak storms into very early Wednesday morning but we are expecting dry weather to return by the morning or afternoon at the latest and stick around Wednesday night. Behind the morning front, the winds will change from the southeast to the north as the day goes on.
Temperatures will be cooler on Wednesday with highs still reaching the upper 60s though. Wednesday night lows will dip down to the low 50s. The clouds will try to clear out late but we are still expecting partly cloudy skies in general Wednesday night. Rain chances are 20% before sunset in West Tennessee.
THURSDAY:
Thursday is going to start out dry but there will be some shower activity trying to return Thursday evening and sticking around for most of the day on Friday. Highs on Thursday will still make it up into the upper 60s and Thursday night lows will only fall down to the mid to upper 50s. The winds on Thursday will shift back to the east or southeast into the afternoon. Expect a partly cloudy day with clouds increasing into the late evening hours. Chances for rain is 60% on Thursday night.
FRIDAY:
Clouds and showers are likely on Friday and some thunderstorms may try to mix in as well. The severe weather threat looks quite low as of now but we will be watching the setup as the week progresses for any possible changes to the forecast . Highs on Friday will reach the mid to upper 60s and Friday night lows will drop down to the low 50s°. The winds will come out of the southeast on Friday but will turn back to the west or northwest earlier in the weekend as the next low pressure system moves out. Expect cloudy skies for most of Friday and chances for rain is already at 70% for Friday. Showers may linger into the beginning of the weekend but we will dry out by Saturday afternoon and it will be a little cooler this weekend as well.
THE WEEKEND:
Rain showers are likely to continue Saturday morning before clearing out as the day goes on. We will still see mostly cloudy skies on Saturday but they should clear out Saturday night making for a mostly sunny and dry day on Sunday. Highs on Saturday will climb up to around 60° and Saturday night lows will fall down to the upper 30s. We are expecting a cooler day on Sunday with highs only reaching the mid 50s. We could dip down to the upper 30s on Sunday morning and Sunday night lows down in the mid 30s, leading to a shot for some frost. The winds will change from the west to the northwest as the weekend progresses. Plenty of sunshine is in the forecast as we start the following work week.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Long term forecast models are suggesting a warm start to March. Spring is about 2 weeks away and starts on March 19th this year. As the warmer weather moves in, we might be transitioning to more of a severe weather threat than a cold and snowy one for the last couple weeks of Winter. There still will be some frost and likely another freeze this season, so hold off on planting for a few more weeks at least. More chances exist in the forecast later this week as well. Next weekend looks to be much cooler than the previous one with near normal temperatures coming.
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
