9:00 Severe WX Update

Headline: Storms appear to be struggling in Tennessee this evening, with the exception of southern West & Middle Tennessee. I will continue to track activity this evening.

WHAT: Strong, possibly severe, thunderstorms. Damaging straight-line winds the main threat, mainly along and south of Interstate-40.

WHEN: Threat timeframe remains 10:00pm – 2:00am

Summary: A line of strong to severe storms is developing along a cold front along the Alabama/Mississippi border. Thankfully, that line is struggling to develop farther north into Tennessee. That’s not to say it won’t, but it sure is struggling to do that at this hour.

As the night goes along, wind shear will increase. However, getting storms strong enough to ingest that “spinning” air might be a challenge, especially if light to moderate rains continue to move in from the southwest. That rain-cooled air will be more stable than if we were dry.

The Storm Prediction Center’s latest update keeps our region in the marginal risk for severe storms tonight, so I’ll be up watching. Increased chances for severe storms can be found just to our southwest.

Speaking of areas farther south, the impressive severe thunderstorms that have rampaged Alabama today and this evening have actually helped us out. When they get major severe weather outbreaks, it sometimes drains our atmosphere of energy needed for severe storms. That seems to be part of the case tonight.

My level of concern continues to slowly decline.

I’m so glad it’s looking better for us. Data was very concerning earlier today and in the days leading up to today. I’m proud of those of you who prepared ahead of time! And hey, even if tonight’s storms don’t pan out, you’re all ready for the next threat that will come our way this storm season.

In the coming years, you’re liable to see many of us meteorologists overly cautious. We’re still a little shell-shocked after the tornado last March in Baxter and Rinnie. That was a rainy, cool night too, though with vastly different atmospheric conditions than we have tonight, thank goodness. Still, you’ll see many of us being overly cautious for many years to come….perhaps even from now on. Better safe than sorry.

Thank you all for following the blog and for trusting me with your weather! Those of you who regularly follow the blog knew exactly what to do today and tonight. You had your weather radios and you had them ready to go. You knew which one I recommend above all others. If you had trouble with those radios, I took took time out of my Saturday to meet you at Grinder House Coffee to get those issues resolved. It was so awesome to see those of you who came out! If you follow the blog regularly you know where you’re at on a map and you have your county map that helps even more. You had the storm-ready checklist and you probably checked it twice. You knew which apps I recommend as part of your multiple-ways-to-get-a-warning plan. You were ready for today and tonight! That’s a good feeling, right? You simply cannot follow this blog and not be storm ready! (ha) One glance at my social media and you’ll see what happens when one doesn’t follow the blog regularly. (ha) And that is a big reason why I will be moving to mainly blog only communication from now on. I simply can’t respond to all the messages I get on Facebook, a great majority of which are a result of not reading the blog or even watching the 60-second vlogs I put out each day.

Please don’t EVER hesitate to reach out with a weather radio question or a question of where you should seek shelter! I’m here for those questions! It’s best to email that question to meteorologistmark@gmail.com or leave a message with this blog.

I give you permission to go to bed IF….IF…you have a weather radio that is turned on and ready to sound an alarm. Make sure you have someone who can call you if they hear of bad weather coming too, just in case. Always have multiple ways to get warnings. Always.

You all take care. I’ll update again at 11:00pm, or as needed. If trends continue, that 11:00 update may be my last of the night! Let’s hope!

One last thing….lets keep folks that have been impacted by today and tonight’s horrible storms near to our hearts.

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