Dry Forecast Leads To Elevated Fire Concerns Sunday
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update
As dry conditions persist across not just West Tennessee, but rather the entire Mid-South, we see our risk for dangerous fire conditions for a portion of the weekend. A couple chances for rain during the work week give us some hope for at least a little relief from the drought.
Sunday:
Humidity values are expected to plummet behind a dry front. With gusty winds up to 20 MPH in the forecast, we can expect to see a chance for fire weather here in West Tennessee. The National Weather Service has already issued a Rangeland Fire Danger Statement for all of their area. The Storm Prediction Center has West Tennessee under a 40% chance to meet Fire Weather criteria. To clarify, this DOES NOT mean there will be fires in West Tennessee on Sunday, rather it means that if there is a fire, conditions will be present to accelerate rapid spread of flames and increased difficulty to contain.
Monday:
Showers will be possible north of I-40 before 10:00 A.M.. Intensity and coverage both look rather low as this appears to be leftovers from a severe weather threat well east of our area. Areas west of Jackson may hear some thunder before these storms cross the Mississippi River, but stormy conditions do not look favorable over West Tennessee. Light showers could persist north of I-40 until the system crosses the Tennessee River.
Tue.-Thur.
Chances for showers and storms will linger, but likely will not be enough to alleviate drought concerns just yet. Forecast rainfall values over the next 7 days show only about 1 inch of rain over the course of the week which would not be enough to fix our problems over West Tennessee. Fortunately, the threat for severe weather over the stretch of the active period looks to be well to the west of West Tennessee.
Friday:
Friday will likely be the hottest day of 2026 so far as we will have our best chance at hitting 90 so far this Spring. Cloud cover would help provide some shade, but it doesn’t appear too widespread. Also with temperatures pushing 90, it will likely feel a little humid since we will have some rainfall to pull from the surface.
