MM News

Today, I’m at Allardt Elementary talking weather and space to about 90 summer school kiddos! That’s a lot of lil meteorologists and astronauts! haha

WBIR in Knoxville interviewed me last week for a story they were working on for yesterday. They featured Crossville on Live at Five at Four. They asked me about the Bigfoot festival that some of us are planning for October 16th. Free publicity! (ha) Fore more info on the festival that will benefit United Fund of Cumberland County, please see https://ucbigfoot.com/. We are also grateful to One Bank for sponsoring the festival.

Weather Headlines 

Humidty begins to increase

Rain chances begin to increase this weekend

Watching a system in the Gulf of Mexico

Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Vlog 

Seven-Day Forecast

Daily Forecast 

Today: Mostly sunny. A bit more humid but still pleasant.

Friday: Hot and humid. Be safe in the heat.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with just a slight chance for an afternoon/evening shower or thunderstorm.

Sunday: Continued mostly sunny. Hot and humid. A chance for mainly afternoon/evening showers and thunderstorms.

Monday – Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with scattered showers and storms likely.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny and pleasant.

Hay Weather Forecast

Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Concerns

Almanac for Yesterday

Tropics 

A reconnaissance plane is scheduled to investigate this area of low pressure this afternoon. A tropical depression or tropical storm could form at any time with this. The system will track north toward the Gulf Coast. Heavy rainfall, dangerous rip currents, and gusty winds are expected to impact much of the northern Gulf Coast by the weekend. Areas from Texas to the Florida Panhandle will be impacted in some way.

Sun & The Moon

Planting by the Moon in June

On This Day in Wx History

1882 – A tornado traveled more than 200 miles across the state of Iowa killing 130 persons. The tornado touched down about ninety miles west of Grinnell, and struck the town and college around sunset, killing sixty persons, and causing more than half a million dollars damage. Traveling at nearly 60 mph, the tornado hit Mount Pleasant about 11 PM, causing another half a million dollars damage. 

Yesterday’s National Temperature Extremes

High:  125° at both Death Valley & Stovepipe Wells, California

Low:   25° at both Sand Creek Station & Foster Flat, Oregon, as well as at Old Station, California 

Thirsty Thursday

Water is the only chemical that expands when it goes from a liquid to a solid. Because solid water (ice) is less dense than liquid water, ice floats. This allows ice to insulate the liquid water underneath it. Without this unique property, life would not have survived earth’s many ice ages.

Today’s Tennessee Weather 

Mostly sunny skies are in store for Tennessee again for today. Both temperatures and humidity will begin to increase just a bit today, but it should still feel quite comfortable. Afternoon high temperatures should be in the mid to upper 80s for most, with the Cumberland Plateau and upper East Tennessee being in the lower 80s.

Tonight’s Tennessee Weather 

A clear and pleasant night is in store for the region. Under starry skies, much of the state will be in the 60s for overnight lows.

Tomorrow’s Tennessee Weather 

Heat and humidity increase to the point that Friday afternoon will be uncomfortable. We all knew our low humidity wouldn’t last! Be careful in the heat. Afternoon highs will be in the low to mid 90s for West and Middle Tennessee, while East Tennessee temperatures climb to near 90.

Drought Monitor

The drought monitor is updated each Thursday. NOTE: The map is late updating today. I’ll have that updated map tomorrow.

Weather SnapShots

@brettjrob shared this image of an “exposed tornado cyclone” from Stanton, Nebraska, EF-4 on June 16, 2014. This was about 15 minutes before the Pilger twins were at their peak intensity. (You may want to Google Pilger twins).

NASA Nerdology 

During this week in 1963, USSR cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space with the launch of the USSR’s Vostok 6. She circled the Earth 48 times over three days and made a successful parachute landing on June 19th.

You all have a great day and keep lookin’ up!

Note: To offer support to Meteorologist Mark and his educational outreach programs, please consider giving via  https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meteorologistmark. If you can’t give, no worries! Just keep following and tell your friends! 

Please feel free to “Follow” me on Social Media!

Facebook @meteorologistmark

Twitter @meteo_mark

Instagram @MeteorologistMark

MM News

Yesterday’s MM kids class went great! We learned all about fire weather, made tornadoes in a jar, and then went outside to see my fire tornado. It was a great class and I hope all the kids enjoyed it as much as I did! We thank TCAT for being wonderful sponsors and being so very good to us!

I also went out to Stone Elementary earlier in the day to speak to summer schoolers about the weather. That was also a very good class filled with some very smart and excited kiddos!

Weather Headlines 

The pleasant weather continues

Rain chances return by the weekend

Watching a developing tropical storm in the Gulf

Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Vlog 

Seven-Day Forecast

Daily Forecast 

Today & Tomorrow: Mostly sunny and pleasant. Low humidity will make it feel very nice.

Friday: Partly cloudy skies. Humidity increases a bit. Hot and humid by the afternoon.

Saturday: Partly cloudy, with a chance for a shower or storm.

Sunday – Tuesday: Partly to mostly cloudy, with scattered showers and thunderstorms.

Hay Weather Forecast

Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Concerns

Almanac for Yesterday

Tropics 

Now, we’re down to one system to watch and that’s the one that has always had the most interest to us. The system will move very little today and is still hugging land. However, the system is expected to pull north tomorrow and should become a tropical depression by Thursday night. As it moves north, it will likely become a tropical storm and directly impact the coasts of northeast Texas and all of Louisiana. Other impacts will be felt all along the northern Gulf Coast, as far east as the Florida Panhandle. Heavy rainfall and gusty winds are the main threats, though dangerous rip currents will effect the entire coastline of the Gulf of Mexico.

Sun & The Moon

Planting by the Moon in June

On This Day in Wx History

1944 – A tornado in Sioux City, Iowa, traveled an odd course. It spun in one place for about twenty minutes, made a U-turn, traveled southeast for about three miles, then traveled south, east, north, and finally east again.

I can relate. If I were a tornado I would be this tornado. (haha)

Yesterday’s National Temperature Extremes

High:  124° at Death Valley, California

Low:   28° at Peter Sinks, Utah 

Wednesday Weather 101

The largest forest fires or wild fires can create their own weather. As the heat from the fire rises, surrounding air rushes in to replace that rising air. This can create very gusty winds for neighboring areas (sometimes damaging) that may encourage the fire to spread even farther.

As all that heat rises into the colder atmosphere above, it eventually cools to condense and form clouds. These clouds may grow to such a height to become a thunderstorm, producing rainfall (usually black with ash) and cloud to ground lightning. That lightning could start even more fires. Clouds that form in this manner are called pyrocumulus clouds. When clouds produce precip, we add “nimbus” to their name (Latin origins).

Today’s Tennessee Weather 

If you like sunshine and low humidity, you’re going to love the forecast for this Wednesday! A beautiful June day is in store for our region. Be sure and get outside if you can!

Tonight’s Tennessee Weather 

Clear and starry skies await us for our Wednesday night. Be sure and check out that Crescent Moon in the western sky after sunset, as well. Overnight lows fall comfortably into the 50s and for many of us, with 60s expected across the west. Notice that 49-degree reading expected for Kingsport!

Tomorrow’s Tennessee Weather 

We have yet another picture-perfect June day in store for the state on Thursday! With lots of sunshine, afternoon highs will range from near 90 degrees in the west, to near 80 degrees in the east. Humidity levels remain low for Thursday, but that begins to change on Friday.

Drought Monitor

The drought monitor is updated each Thursday.

Weather SnapShots

Mark DeBruin (@mark_debruin) snapped this amazing picture of a supercell in Deerfield, Kansas on May 24th. What a shot, Mark!

NASA Nerdology 

The Crescent Earth, as seen by the Apollo 17 astronauts. Just incredible….

You all have a great day and keep lookin’ up!

Join TCAT and become a sponsor today! Your money will go toward science education outreach in the Upper Cumberlands. Thank you!

Note: To offer support to Meteorologist Mark and his educational outreach programs, please consider giving via  https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meteorologistmark. If you can’t give, no worries! Just keep following and tell your friends! 

Please feel free to “Follow” me on Social Media!

Facebook @meteorologistmark

Twitter @meteo_mark

Instagram @MeteorologistMark

MM News

I’m headed out to Stone Elementary this morning to talk to some summer school kiddos about the weather! I can’t wait to tell them all about the coolest science there is! 🙂

I’ve had a couple of cancellations, and that means there are some seats still available for this evening’s fire tornado class! Registration is required and that form can be found at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdohiaR1Slm0CYWnwhQSi8w0LyY51aAO91OJpffFSabw3FOqQ/viewform

Weather Headlines 

Pleasant June weather for the next few days! (Enjoy it!)

Next rain chance arrives Friday night/the weekend

Watching the Gulf of Mexico for a tropical storm

Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Vlog 

Seven-Day Forecast

Daily Forecast 

Today and Wednesday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. Low humidity will feel very nice!

Thursday: Continued dry and sunny, but humidity increases a bit.

Friday: A bit more humidity. Mostly sunny. Rain possible overnight.

Saturday – Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Very humid.

Hay Weather Forecast

Take note that next week’s outlook features above-normal precip chances, as it looks right now.

Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Concerns

Almanac for Yesterday

Tropics 

The tropics remain very active for this time of year! Tropical Storm Bill is packing winds of 50 mph, as it moves northeast and away from the U.S.

The system in the Gulf bears watching, as it will likely be our next named storm. It will impact the northern Gulf Coast of the U.S. Areas from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle are watching this very closely. Regardless of where this makes landfall, and regardless of intensity, enormous areas of real-estate will likely see heavy rain from this system. The good news is that this system is not expected to become a hurricane.

Thankfully, the system nearest Africa is struggling and may never become a storm.

Sun & The Moon

Planting by the Moon in June

On This Day in Wx History

1952- The temperature at Nashville climbs to 100 degrees — the earliest date ever for a 100-degree reading in the Music City.

Yesterday’s National Temperature Extremes

High:  118° at both Death Valley & Stovepipe Wells, California

Low:   24° at Peter Sinks, Utah 

Twister Tuesday

The deadliest tornado in world history was the Daulatpur–Saturia tornado in Bangladesh on April 26, 1989, which killed approximately 1,300 people. In the history of Bangladesh at least 19 tornadoes have killed more than 100 people each, almost half of the total for the rest of the entire world. Poor housing and dense populations are mainly to blame.

Today’s Tennessee Weather 

It’s a picture-perfect June day across Tennessee! Lots of sunshine and low humidity levels will make for a very pleasant day. High temps will range from near 90 degrees in the west, to near 80 degrees in the east.

Tonight’s Tennessee Weather 

The sky will be clear and starry and accompanied by a beautiful Crescent Moon tonight! Temperatures will be quite comfortable for this time of year, leading some to even sleep with the windows open!

Tomorrow’s Tennessee Weather 

On Wednesday, we’ll repeat what we did on Tuesday! Another absolutely beautiful day is in store for the region once again, with sunny skies, low humidity, and comfortable afternoon temperatures. Enjoy this while it lasts! Summer’s heat and humidity will be back sooner than later!

Drought Monitor

The drought monitor is updated each Thursday.

Weather SnapShots

A beautiful thunderstorm and shelf cloud seen late last month from McGregor, Minnesota. Photo courtesy of Sarah Johnson.

NASA Nerdology 

During this week in 1919, John “Jack” Alcock and Arthur Brown departed on the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic. They flew in a Vickers Vimy biplane from Canada to Ireland.

You all have a great day and keep lookin’ up!

Note: To offer support to Meteorologist Mark and his educational outreach programs, please consider giving via  https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meteorologistmark. If you can’t give, no worries! Just keep following and tell your friends! 

Please feel free to “Follow” me on Social Media!

Facebook @meteorologistmark

Twitter @meteo_mark

Instagram @MeteorologistMark

First of all, the National Hurricane Center has now labeled an area of low pressure off the North Carolina coastline as a tropical depression. It will likely become Tropical Storm Bill later today or tomorrow, as it moves out to sea.

Another area of low pressure in the southern Gulf of Mexico continues to slowly organize and will likely become Tropical Storm Claudette later this week. Areas from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle are watching this system closely, as it drifts north. That system will probably increase our rain rain chances this weekend and bring up humidity values dramatically.

Finally, I wanted to share some interesting satellite imagery with you this morning. Satellite picks up more than just clouds, as we can see here. Notice that black smoke in northern Illinois? That’s smoke from huge chemical plant fire in Rockton, Illinois. According to the local news, “The fire started around 7:30 a.m. Monday at Chemtool Incorporated, located in Rockton. The company manufactures fluids, lubricants and grease products which are distributed worldwide.” Evacuations have been underway of neighboring areas. Not a good Monday morning for those folks and we sure hope everyone is OK.

You can also see how the surface winds are from the north, while winds higher up (where the clouds are) are out of the northwest.