A vigorous disturbance will be dropping down on us from Kentucky this afternoon and that will spark off some showers and storms. Yesterday, it looked like this disturbance would weaken as it dropped in on us, but it now looks like it will still be strong enough to bring us some storms. We’re seeing some right now north of Nashville on radar. That activity is moving east and more storms are expected to develop south of there. At this time we’re not expecting any severe weather.
The good news is that after we get this disturbance out of here, the rest of the week, and into the weekend, now look really good. Highs each day will be in the lower 80s, with lows in the lower 60s, with only slight chances of afternoon and evening t-showers. Yesterday it looked like a cold front would drop in here toward the end of the week and bring good rain chances but that no longer looks likely.
Hurricane Jose is still a cat 1 and continues to meander off the East Coast. It will continue to do so for the next several days. But the big news is Hurricane Maria. This storm is incredible. Yesterday morning it was a cat 1 and by dinner time it was a cat 5. That is a remarkable, and thankfully rare, phenomenon for hurricanes. Unfortunately, the island of Dominica found itself right in the path of the storm, and things got so bad there last night that the Prime Minister had to resort to Twitter to get help. He was sure he was going to die if help didn’t come. Help came for him but there’s no telling how many others were in trouble there last night. The island has never been hit by a cat 5. So, this is another island that joins many more this season in having unprecedented, catastrophic cat 5 hurricane damage. One reporter this morning on Dominica said that all earthly possessions have been lost on Dominica.
Now, the hurricane, still a cat 5, is aiming for St. Croix and Puerto Rico. President Trump has already declared an emergency for Puerto Rico. The storm will hit there Wednesday. They, too, have never had a cat 5 and it’s been decades since they’ve had a cat 4. Certainly, our hearts are with those folks. We also can’t forget all the folks in Texas and Florida who continue to grapple with what they’ve lost in hurricanes this season. Maria is not expected to hit the US and should curve out into the Atlantic east of the Bahamas. We’re finally at the halfway mark, with hurricane season ending November 30.
