Winds will be picking up tonight, as a warm front moves in from the south. Those winds will increase as we go into Saturday, as well. Some gusts could top 30 mph. Winds this gusty could lead to sporadic power outages across the plateau, so make sure you have a way of getting weather warnings if the power goes out. We also need to prepare for outages in case tomorrow’s storms are rough on the power grid.
One thing I should note. When storms do form with warm fronts the thunder tends to be really loud. I think it’s because of the temperature differences that take place with a warm front. The cooler air here at the surface is tough to move (colder air is heavier) and so the warm air has to first ride up and over that cooler air. The sound waves traveling through that temperature difference within the airmasses must help sound travel and amplify. Just keep in mind that the sound of the thunder is not necessarily an indication of storm intensity.
Tonight’s threat remains low but not zero. Earlier this evening, the warm front spawned at least one tornado in northeast Alabama. Another tornado may have occurred west of Atlanta. Both were weak tornadoes, as warm front tornadoes often are. That activity has since calmed down. This is a reminder, however, that this warm front is capable of producing severe weather overnight. The latest short term models have storms developing in our region around 10:30 pm or so. That timing is often “give or take an hour.”
Tomorrow’s threat is much more serious and we need to be very weather aware. Any storm that develops will be capable of producing severe weather.
The main concerns are twofold. First is the concern with the line of storms threat will come through Saturday evening. That line should arrive around 6:00 pm but stay tuned for timing adjustments. The second and more serious threat is for isolated supercells that may develop ahead of that line. Those supercells will carry a high tornado potential….if they develop. If we don’t see those supercells develop then we can cancel out that worry.
This is the enhanced risk area issued by the Storm Prediction Center. As you can see, the Cumberland Plateau is well within the enhanced risk, as we should be in my opinion.
I’ll have an update here and on YouTube at 9:00. You can also subscribe to that YouTube channel and join the other 300 (and counting!) people who subscribe! You can also “follow” this blog and join the other nearly 13,000 folks who do! Just find that “Follow” button in the lower right corner of your screen.
For those who have Twitter and would like to see the damage and pictures from the tornadoes in Alabama and Georgia this evening, just go to my Twitter page @meteo_mark.
Again, I’ll update again around 9:00 pm and I’ll keep you all posted through the night with anything you need to know!
Radar
https://www.wunderground.com/radar/us/tn/nashville/ohx
Severe Weather Safety
Tennessee Power Outage Map
Follow the link below to see current power outages across the state. This is VERY interesting when storms are going on. You’ll see lots of people go into the dark when the line of storms crosses our state Saturday afternoon and evening. Just remember to refresh the page!
https://poweroutage.us/area/state/tennessee
