VERY COLD All Week, Snowstorm Expected on Friday!
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update
WBBJ 7 Forecast Update:
It is going to be a cold night across West Tennessee. There are still a few flurries blowing around but not enough to wet the pavement or accumulate anywhere. Dry but cold weather will be sticking around with morning lows in the 20s and wind chills in the teens all week long. We also have our first look at a new forecast model (NAM 20K) showing snow moving into our area around sunrise on Friday. We will see tomorrow how many inches it thinks we are going to get. The latest GFS is still suggesting a half foot of snow for many of us. We will keep an eye on all available information to bring you the most accurate snow forecast information before the event on WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News.
The wind chill will remain in the teens tonight and drop down close to the single digits Tuesday night. We will bottom out from this cold spell Thursday morning when the actual temperatures (not wind chill) will drop into the mid teens. It looks like we will be avoiding single digit temperatures this cold spell but it is still very cold. Please remember to leave your pipes dripping if you have had plumbing issues in the past. Please bring in your pets and do not leave them outside. Please bundle up in winter gear, hats and gloves and winter coats if you are heading out or sending the little ones out for any reason! We will stay dry until Thursday night when the next winter storm is expected to be coming in; so the roads will not be too bad for a few days as far as icy spots and slick bridges.
Snow chances and heavy snow is looking highly likely for West Tennessee on Friday. All 4 long term forecast models I check out are showing snow all day Friday in our area. It is too early to talk about accumulations but the latest long term forecast trends are hinting at around 3-6″ right now. Obviously this far out we are not sure who and where across the Mid South is going to see the most, but it sure looks like some serious snow is on the way.
Behind the winter storm system Monday morning much cooler weather has moved on in and it appears to be going nowhere anytime soon. Highs only made it up to around 30° on Monday and Monday night lows will fall down to the mid 20s. It will feel in the teens though most of the night from that breezy northerly winds that will weaken slowly overnight. Expect cloudy skies Monday night and a few flurries could be falling down but not enough for accumulations or to even wet the payment.
Tuesday is going to be another cold day with highs reaching the mid 30s. It will feel in the 20s though most of the day with the winds staying out of the north between 5-10 MPH. The clouds will hang around in the morning but will look to clear out as the day goes on. Expect mostly clear skies by Tuesday night and that will allow overnight temperatures to drop down to around 20°. The wind chill will be in the teens again for Tuesday night.
Wednesday temperatures will remain cool and again only reach the mid 30s. We will see mostly sunny skies on Wednesday and the winds will be light out of the north. The wind chill again will make it feel in the 20s most of the day and Wednesday night lows is where we will bottom out for the current cold spell. Temperatures will fall into the mid teens Wednesday night with the wind chill hanging around 10° for Thursday morning.
The next system will be getting closer on Thursday and clouds will move in Thursday evening/night. Snow is expected to move in sometime Friday morning with the snow coming up from the southwest. There is a shot for a wintry mix, ice or freezing rain from the system but it looks to bring snow to most of us. The most likely place to see the freezing rain and ice would be near the Mississippi border. Highs on Thursday will reach the mid 30s but fall below freezing Thursday night into the mid 20s before the snow shows up.
Snow is looking likely on Friday and accumulations look highly likely as of now. Latest forecast model trends have shown totals as high as 6-7″ with some as low as 2-3″. It is too early to make a forecast on the actual snow amounts across West Tennessee and to determine which areas will see the most, but I would prepare for at least a couple inches for everyone between sunrise and 10pm Friday. The snow should wrap up by Saturday morning but it will be sticking around through the weekend. As of now, if the forecast holds, there will be school and business closures on Friday. This forecast will change as the system gets closer, we could see more or less snow that what we are thinking, but snow is coming…. stay with WBBJ this week for more information.
THE WEEKEND:
The snow coming in on Friday is forecast to move out by the time the sun comes up on Saturday. But it will be too cold this weekend to melt any of the snow that we will be receiving on Friday. Highs on Saturday will reach the mid 30s but we should warm to the upper 30s on Sunday. Both weekend nights we are expecting the overnight temperatures to again fall into the 20s. The clouds will likely hang around all day on Saturday before clearing out on Sunday. The winds will come out of the west on Saturday as the system moves out and try to turn to the southwest on Sunday before the next front comes in early next week!
Storm Team Chief Meteorologist
Joel Barnes
Facebook: @JoelBarnesWeather
Twitter: @JoelBarnes13
Instagram: @joelbarnes13
