Spring To Summer Like Weather Ahead

Wednesday Forecast Update for March 2nd:

We enjoyed sunshine and temperatures in the low 70’s yesterday and we’ll almost a carbon copy again today! Highs will top out a little warmer at around 73 degrees along with yet again, another sunny day.

FEBRUARY RECAP:

Although the daily high temperature in February was above normal half the time, the cold spells were more intense leading to average temperatures for the month to end up being about 2° below normal. The coldest day was on the 4th with a high of only 27°. The warmest we hit was 71° on both the 11th and the 16th. We hit 70° today and should be warmer as we finish the week. It was a wet month though with Jackson seeing over 3″ of rain more then a typically February as well.

LATEST ON WEST TENNESSEE RIVER LEVELS:

River levels are going to continue to rise this week across some areas in West Tennessee and flooding is likely to continue to be an issue as the week goes on for some of our communities. The Tennessee River is currently in the moderate flood stage near Savannah and is forecast to stay in the moderate flood stage until Friday.

The Forked Deer River near Jackson is going down and not currently flooding, but in the forecast in Halls is expected to stay in the minor flooding stage all week as well.

The Mississippi River is also remaining high in the minor flood stage and will continue to rise at times this week, but it should stay below moderate flood stage.

TODAY & TOMORROW:

Sunny skies are expected to dominate over West Tennessee this work week as a large area of high pressure is forecast to linger around the region. Highs should reach the low 70s for both Today and Thursday. The winds will stay out of the west during the middle of the week but could come out of the southwest on Wednesday and possibly the northwest on Thursday. Lows will dip into the low to mid 40s overnight during the middle of the week. Enjoy some really nice weather for a few days!

FRIDAY:

Highs on Friday could warm into the mid 70s but some clouds will be increasing towards the back half of the day. The timing of the next system is still being determined but it does not appear that it will impact West Tennessee until the upcoming weekend. The winds will start to come out of the south on Friday and that will start to set the stage for our next chance for showers and storms into the weekend. Friday night lows will drop into the mid 50s.

THE WEEKEND:

The weekend is expected to be warm and humid and chances for showers and storms will return to the Mid South. Thunderstorms appear to be likely for some as the system moves through but the timing and location of the most significant weather is still yet to be determined.  Highs will still reach the mid 70s on Saturday and Sunday. Lows Saturday night should only fall down to around 60°. Be sure to keep an eye on the forecast as the weekend gets a little closer, especially if you have outdoor plans.

LIGHTNING SAFETY:

With storms returning this weekend, and as we get closer to the heart of severe weather season in West Tennessee, here are some interesting facts about lightning that you might not have known in the graphic below. Also, did you know that there are multiple types of lightning? For example, there’s “intra-cloud” and “cloud-to-ground” flashes. Cloud-to-ground lightning can either have a positive or negative charge depending on what part of the cloud it comes from! Visit weather.gov/safety/lightning-science-types-flashes for more info on lightning science.

FINAL THOUGHT:

We are still in the middle of winter here in West Tennessee and we currently could see more rounds of winter precipitation in the coming weeks. There could be more chances for severe weather though too as we get going into 2022. So 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