HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Weather Headlines
–Heavy rains coming for Thursday and Friday
–Rain and snow for Saturday. Snow accumulation possible.
Main threats
>>Rain, heavy at times, will develop across the plateau on Thursday. Since our soils are already saturated, it won’t take much water to create some flooding situations. Rainfall amounts of 2-3 inches are expected across the plateau. Isolated spots may pick up 3-4 inches. Remember, never cross a flooded roadway.
Flash flood watches cover a large portion of the Southeast for Thursday and Friday, including the entire Cumberland Plateau.
>>A vigorous upper-level low will cross the state on Saturday. This will change our rain to snow during the day. Light snowfall accumulation is possible (stay tuned).
Summary
We have a nice day in store for us. Enjoy it!
A big rain-maker is gearing up to move in late tonight and Thursday. This system is a classic heavy rain maker for Middle Tennessee. All of us will see a couple of inches of rain, with some of us getting a bit more than that. Please be careful on flooded roadways. If you live in a flood-prone area, be prepared to take action for flooding.
That rain continues into Friday. It shouldn’t be as heavy, but it won’t take much to aggravate flooding from Thursday’s rain.
Then, a very cold upper-level low will slide over the plateau. This will bring gusty winds and a changeover to snow. While temps aloft will be cold enough for snow, temps here at the surface may hover just above freezing. That would limit accumulation. However, as darkness falls the temps will too. That could lead to accumulation. Stay tuned. If surface temps fall below freezing during the day, we would be looking at more accumulation. Right now, this is looking like a “one inch or less” event. That could change, so stay tuned!
Almanac
Baldwin’s 7-Day forecast
Records
The new year got off to a very, very cold start in 1864. In fact, it was the most bitter cold New Year’s Day in history for much of the Midwest and Great Plains. Afternoon highs in Chicago ware 16 below zero, while Minneapolis was 25 below zero….. for a high temperature!
The worst blizzard in the history of the west also occurred on this day. The year was 1949. The six-day blizzard began over the northern Rockies and Great Plains.
Wednesday’s Weather Word of the Day
Fog Bow
A fogbow is produced from water droplets that are present in fog or mist. The droplets are much, much smaller than the raindrops that make the classic rainbows we see during a rain shower. Those tiny water drops reflect and refract fewer colors, creating a ghostly white arc.
NASA Knowledge
The astronauts aboard the International Space Station wish each and every one of us Earthlings a very happy new year! The space station operates on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). That means it was only 6:00 CST when they rang in the new year.
Wx Hazards Across the Nation
News
The map below shows the number of tornado warnings issued by each National Weather Service forecast office in the U.S. in 2019. Notice how many warnings were issued by offices to our south, while so few were issued for Tennessee and Kentucky.
I caught this pic of the first sunrise of the new year this morning. The year and day are off to a nice start!
You all have a great day!
Thanks for the heads up Mark. I hate snow and ice. My 8 year old granddaughter is so into space she downloads everything she can on anything she has access to. This is SO AMAZING to me. I want to buy her a telescope and her own star.
That’s awesome, Linda! Definitely keep encouraging her along. There’s a HUGE need for more women at NASA. She can be one of them some day!