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Weather Headlines

–The next storm system arrives Thursday night, with beneficial rains coming.

–Total rainfall amounts from Thursday night to Saturday night should be in the 1-2 inch range across the plateau.

–The next big storm system should arrive next Wednesday. Those with Thanksgiving travel plans are advised to monitor that forecast over the coming days.

Main threats

No widespread hazardous weather is expected through Tuesday.

Summary

We’ll see some nice weather over the next couple of days. Temps will be mild and the weather will be dry.

As we move through the day Thursday, clouds will thicken. By midnight, we should be seeing some sprinkles and showers (if not sooner). That precip intensifies through the day Friday, with heavy downpours possible.

Rain should taper off as we go through the day Saturday. Still, the majority of that day is looking wet.

Temps will fall Saturday night but all the moisture should be gone by the time the coldest air arrives. That front sets the stage for a nice Sunday and Monday.

The next storm system will begin spreading clouds across our skies by Tuesday. Rain and storms look likely for Wednesday, with some strong storms possible. I’ll keep monitoring that very closely, as so many people have travel plans for that day.

NOTE ON THE METEOR STORM: If you try to see the meteor storm Thursday night be sure and take your umbrella. Wait…..what?

I know you’ve probably heard about the meteor storm coming Thursday night. It’s true it could happen, in a very short span of time of about half an hour, beginning at about 10:50 p.m.  The reason I haven’t said anything is because it has always looked like it will be cloudy at that time. I’ve never seen any data over the past week that hasn’t shown us cloudy for this event. I can’t imagine we would be lucky enough to get a break in the cloud cover but I’ll keep an eye on it. Just don’t get your hopes up.

Almanac

Baldwin’s 7-Day forecast

Records

It was a bad weather day in Tennessee on this day in 1900. A tornado outbreak produced Middle Tennessee’s 4th deadliest twister in history. The violent F-4 tornado moved eight miles through Hardin, Wayne, and Lewis Counties, killing 27 people. Homes and cabins were reported to have been turned to kindling wood. The tornado was headed straight for Columbia at one point, but then quickly diverted course and bypassed the town.

An additional F-3 tornado struck Williamson, Davidson, and Rutherford Counties, killing 12. This twister was on the ground for 25 miles.

Across Middle Tennessee, 43 lives were lost in tornadoes that day.

In all, 73 tornadoes touched down in the South, killing 73 people. Damage across Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee was said to have been extensive.

Below is a map showing the tornado paths across Middle Tennessee from this outbreak.

Tropics

Tropical Storm Sebastien has winds of 50 mph, as he spins harmlessly out to sea.

Today’s WeatherTAP WeatherWORD

Black Ice

A thin coating of ice on a roadway surface. The ice is so thin that black asphalt shows right through it, leaving the ice very difficult to see.

WeatherTAP WeatherFACT

Bridges and overpasses are especially susceptible to black ice, as they freeze over first, since air flows freely beneath them and drops the temperature of the surface much quicker than pavement that is on solid ground. Always check the temperature on foggy mornings or mornings where there’s light drizzle, etc. If that thermometer is anywhere in the lower 30s, be aware that black ice may be present on portions of the roadway.

NASA Knowledge

NASA has released the first global geological map of Saturn’s moon Titan! The map shows all the unique geological features of that moon. Interestingly, the same geological processes that we see on earth also are observed on Titan.

Unlike earth, Titan is painfully cold. Temps there stay around 290 degrees below zero.

The geology data was gathered from the Cassini satellite mission, which has flown by Titan 120 times.

Dunes, much like those found in Earth’s deserts, cover much of the equatorial region. Many of them are has deep as the Statue of Liberty. It’s so incredible to think that we can see pictures of such a far away place, and that it looks so similar to parts of our own planet. It’s just mind boggling.

Lakes are found at the poles and may be wet or dry.

In 2034, NASA’s Dragonfly will land on Titan and provide some excellent data. What an exciting project that will be!

Pictured below is the geologic map of Titan. The dunes and lakes are most interesting to me.  Hummocky refers to rolling hills like you see in Middle TN. Labyrinth refers to karst-like landscapes, like what we see here with limestone washing out and forming cavities underneath the land surface (leads to sinkholes).

News

On Monday at 1:49 pm. the set at Barrow, Alaska. While the time of that sunset may have your attention, you may be even more grappled to learn that it won’t rise again until 1:09 p.m. on January 23! That’s right, those folks have entered what is called polar night.

Various other locations will experience their last sunset for nearly two months in the coming days.

 

Wx Hazards Across the Nation

 

You all have a great day!