While much of Cumberland & Fentress Counties have been dry this afternoon, the rain and storms are nearby! The radar has been quite colorful across Middle TN this afternoon and that activity could develop toward us at any moment. Be aware that any storm today could produce torrential rainfall that could lead to flash flooding. We would also see cloud-to-ground lightning and gusty winds. Sometimes, those winds can become strong enough to be damaging.
I highlighted the border of Cumberland County in the image below. As you can see, there’s plenty of rain to our west. Much of that is moving northward toward Kentucky. It’s only a matter of time before the radar lights up across more of the plateau.
I also wanted to give a quick update on the tropics. Tropical Storm Fred is slowly strengthening and will make landfall near Destin, Florida, Monday evening. That storm is expected to be a tropical storm at landfall and not a hurricane. Still, the storm will bring heavy rain and gusty winds to parts of the Gulf Coast. The system will then move north toward the plateau. It should arrive here Tuesday night with increased rain chances for us and perhaps some breezy winds. I’ll keep an eye on our severe weather threat, though that threat is expected to be very minimal.
Tropical Storm Grace is still out in the Atlantic but is looking more concerning in long-range outlooks. By Friday, Grace will be in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. She is certainly one to watch.
I should note that Grace will be impacting Haiti tomorrow. They just endured a strong earthquake and this couldn’t be worse timing. I’m sure those folks would appreciate a prayer.
