Storm Threat Starts Around 10 PM Tonight in West Tennessee
Wednesday Night Forecast Update
Wednesday Night Forecast Update for February 15th:
A TORNADO WATCH has been issued for sections of West Tennessee until 5 AM tonight. Strong rotating storms will move through out area tonight and continue into the early morning hours. Please stay weather aware tonight and have a plan just in case you get put under a tornado warning. We will have all hands on deck overnight in the 7 Storm Team Weather Center keeping you and your family safe.
Storms will pop up by 10 PM tonight and last until 3 PM on Thursday across West Tennessee. All severe weather threats, including tornadoes will be possible tonight. Please have a way to stay alerted tonight before you go to bed if dangerous weather will be moving into your area. We will have the latest hour by hour breakdown and the latest up to the minute forecast details coming up here.
A warm front will lift northward into the Mid-South this evening, bringing increased moisture and temperatures to the region. A low pressure system is moving over the Central Plains and as this system pushes closer to the Mid-South, thunderstorm development is expected. Our environment will be favorable for severe storms Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. The likely timing of this event will be 10PM Wednesday through 6AM Thursday. Damaging winds and a few tornadoes are the biggest threat, with large hail and heavy rain possible.
You need to stay weather aware and please download our WBBJ 7 Storm Team Weather App from the play or app store. It will alert you to any severe weather where you live and will wake you up at night if you turn up the notifications. We also send out special forecast alerts that you cannot always catch on the television or over social media over our app.
To download the WBBJ 7 Weather app, click here.
TONIGHT:
Wednesday was another warm and breezy day with high temperatures reaching the low to mid 70s by the afternoon hours. Most of the day was dry but storm chances with the potential of severe weather will return late Wednesday evening and stick around overnight into Thursday morning. All severe weather modes will be possible including very strong winds, hail and possibly a tornado or two, so please stay weather aware tonight.
The severe storm threat will begin around 10PM and several waves or storms will impact West Tennessee as the night goes on. Dangerous storms are expected overnight when most of us will be sleeping so please have a plan before you head to bed.
The exact location and when the worst of these storms will move through your area is almost impossible to know exactly. But between 10PM and 4AM any storms that will develop will have the potential or becoming severe quickly and rotating leading to a tornado threat.
It is important for you to know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. We are likely to be under a tornado watch tonight but only a small percentage of us will probably be put under a tornado warning tonight.
THURSDAY:
Rain and storm chances will continue into Thursday morning with the potential for some severe weather in the early morning hours. Another line of storms could redevelop into the afternoon but we are expecting most of those to impact areas east of Jackson but they could be very close to Madison county as well.
We are going to keep a close eye on this system over the next 18 hours as it gets closer and moves through West Tennessee. Highs on Thursday will occur in the morning hours before falling off quickly into the afternoon behind the cold front.
Most of the day temperatures will be in the 50s and 40s but will fall down below freezing into the mid to upper 20s to near 30° by Friday morning. The clouds will clear out into the afternoon/evening as well and expect clear skies by sunrise on Friday. The winds will shift from the southwest in the morning to the northwest into the afternoon/evening.
FRIDAY:
Friday is going to be the coldest day of the week on the backside of the cold front. Highs on Friday will only reach the low 40s and will again fall to the mid 20s overnight into Saturday morning. We should see plenty of sunshine on Friday and the winds will be a bit brisk most of the day out of the northwest. The wind chill could be in the teens at times early in the morning and again late at night.
THE WEEKEND:
The weekend looks very similar to the last couple weekends across the Mid South. We are expecting dry weather with warmer conditions on Sunday again than on Saturday. We should see a mix of sun and clouds but we should be dry for most of the weekend although a quick little shower cannot be ruled out. Saturday highs will reach up to around 50° and Sunday highs will make it up to around 60°. Saturday night lows will fall down to the mid 30s and Sunday night lows will only fall to the mid to upper 40s as breezy southwest winds could return.
NEXT WEEK:
Next week is going to start out warm and the as the week progresses, chances for showers and storms will again return to the Mid South. Monday looks to be dry but rain chances start on Tuesday as the next system will get a little closer. We should see mostly sunny skies on Monday but clouds will increase again into the middle of the week. Highs on Monday will reach the mid 60s and low 70s will be possible for both Tuesday and Wednesday. Overnight lows will in general be in the 50s for the beginning and middle of the week. Cooler weather looks to return by the end of the work week across West Tennessee. Some severe weather could again be possible next week so be sure to stay weather aware again.
FINAL THOUGHT:
After the coldest Christmas in decades here in West Tennessee, warmer weather returned for the start of the new year, but some cooler weather moved in to wrap up the month and stuck around into February. The next chance for rain and storms is coming tonight and into Thursday morning, no winter storms are currently in the forecast but in will be a little cooler on Friday and again to start this weekend. 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
