9:00 Storm Update

I can’t remember the last time we were in such a heightened risk for severe weather and didn’t get a watch or a single warning issued from it. That is very unusual, folks, and I sure hope you appreciate how close we came to having some substantial severe weather around here. The straight-line wind threat was about as high as it gets, yet we have only scattered reports of some minor damage (as far as I’ve seen/heard). I lost a Bradford Pear tree but let’s be real….as my friend at the NWS said, “Aren’t dandelions sturdier than those trees?” (haha).

As for the rest of our night….

We still have a cold front that needs to move through before we’re 100% finished with a storm threat. It is producing a line of strong to severe thunderstorms in Arkansas right now. That line is moving east toward Memphis. A severe t-storm watch is in effect for western West TN until 11:00 pm.

So, will those storms hold together to get to here? It doesn’t look like it. Our atmosphere is very washed out and I don’t see it destabilizing a whole lot before that front gets here. If we could have gotten some sun and heated things up we’d be in trouble. But, alas it is dark. ha The storms will get here around 2:00-4:00 am.

The risk for severe weather is very low tonight. I’ll keep an eye on things and I’ll post one last update at 11:00 on those storms. I honestly don’t think I’ll have much to report. Never the less, I’ll keep a close eye on it.

I’ve had a little over three inches of rain here in Rinnie (northern Cumberland County) so I’m sure there are some flooding issues with some roads. Be careful if you’re out tonight or in the morning.

My level of concern continues to decline but it’s not as low as it can go, namely because of that cold front I’m watching. If we get anything from that front, it will likely be some more quick downpours, thunder and lightning, and gusty winds. Aren’t you glad to see that concern declining over the past few hours? I think this scale will come in very handy this spring and summer!

You all take care and I’ll let you know if there’s anything you need to know about. If you have a weather radio it’s fine to go on to bed. It’s probably fine otherwise, but I’d like to see how the storms on this cold front behave for the next couple of hours before I take my eyes off of it.

Keep those to our south near to your hearts. There continues to be powerful tornadoes on the ground as I type this. What a terrible night for so many people in the Deep South. I took this screen shot from RadarScope earlier. I placed the invest tool over the storm and it showed winds over 70 mph on a storm in eastern Alabama. I was afraid I would be using this tool on our storms today! I hate that the Deep South has been hit so hard, but that sure did take a lot of energy away from our storms.

Again, I’ll have another update at 11:00, but I’d go on to bed if you have a weather radio. Also, many of you have asked about weather apps. I’m trying out the Red Cross app. I’ve heard good things, but we haven’t had any severe weather since I downloaded it. Maybe this app stops storms? (LOL) I was thinking that some of you may try the news stations’ apps for weather? I know channels 10, 6, and 8 (Knoxville) have them and they may be really good.

You all take care. I’ll be watching those storms in Arkansas and looking at some more data coming in.

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