Meteorologist Mark

The heat is on, folks! Actually, temps are pretty much what we would expect for the second half of July. High temps will be running anywhere from two to five degrees above normal. It could certainly be worse! High temps through Wednesday will be in the 86-88 degree range, climbing closer to 90 by Thursday and on through the weekend. Humidity won’t be too bad today and tomorrow, but it will start returning in earnest by the end of the week.  Overnight lows to start the week will be in the mid 60s, but climbing to the lower 70s by the end of the week, thanks to more humid nights by then. Rain chances each day this week are very low. Of course, you can’t rule out an isolated heat-of-the-day pop up storm, but those will be very isolated at best.  It’s a good week to be on the lake!

I was looking at some of the weather events for our area for this time of year and found some interesting info. On July 16, 1980 Crossville hit 101 degrees, and that was the first time a temp of 100 had ever been officially recorded in Crossville.  That was a hot year! That same heat wave caused Crossville to break records every day of this week! Thank goodness it’s not 1980!

I’ve attached a graphic below to remind you of the heat safety rules. Stay cool out there!

For those of you headed out for lunch today, be aware that numerous showers and t-storms have started quickly popping up on radar over the past hour. Some of these are already showing lightning strikes. If you’re headed out for lunch, make sure you take an umbrella or rain jacket just in case. Showers and storms are slowly moving east when they develop.  I expect these storms to increase in coverage and intensity as the afternoon wears on.

 

The hot and very humid weather continues today, with a good chance of afternoon and evening t-storms. Some of these storms could be strong, possibly severe, with heavy rainfall and damaging winds. We also have to be on the lookout for dangerous lightning, of course. Highs today will be in the mid 80s, but the high humidity will make it feel more like 90. Tonight will be a muggy one, too, with scattered showers and storms. On Saturday those rain chances continue, along with the heat and humidity. If you have outdoor plans keep an eye on the radar. Slightly drier air works in here for Sunday, so that will be nice. That will also lead to a drier day, as well.  Next week looks like a typical week in July, with highs in the low to mid 80s and a slight chance of an afternoon/evening storm.

On this day in 1998 a rain event developed over southern Middle TN that broke numerous rainfall records for Middle TN. In fact, these records stood until the big flood hit Nashville in 2010. The town of Lawrenceburg was hardest hit, when 12.26″ of rain fell on the town in only two days! Two people were killed and 20 were injured. Numerous roads were washed away and 122 homes were damaged or destroyed. An additional 13 mobile homes were completely swept away by the flood waters. The water and sewage plants were left inoperable, leaving the town with no clean water to drink.  I’ve attached a state map, with Lawrenceburg circled in red.

You all have a safe and relaxing weekend! Keep in mind that some of our storms today could be on the strong side. I’ll be watching it!

 

The heat and humidity continue for today and right on through Saturday. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s and overnight lows will be near 70. We will see a few more storms around today than we did yesterday, but the best chance of storms comes on Friday. This is the result of a “cold” front that will be moving in. Some of the storms on Friday could be quite strong, with damaging winds being the main threat. By Saturday, we will still have some rain and storms around but by Saturday night we will see drier air filtering in behind that cold front. This time of year, the air behind these cold fronts is certainly not cold, but it is drier and that makes all the difference this time of year! Sunday is looking fantastic! Temps will be in the lower 80s and humidity levels will be very low for this time of year. Get out and enjoy it! The humidity begins creeping back in on Tuesday next week.

I have a super cool photo to show you this morning. It’s of Jupiter’s Red Spot, which is an enormous storm that has been ongoing for at least 350 years and is bigger than Earth! NASA’s Juno satellite did a fly-by last week that is the closest approach we’ve ever made to the planet. This is one of the images captured.

That is one heck of a storm, folks! Again, we’ll have spotty storms today but they will pick up in coverage and intensity on Friday. If you’re going to the Summer Concert Series this evening (over by the Library) to hear our very own John Bristow play, dress for hot weather! Hopefully we’ll dodge any storms! I just checked the latest model data and it shows a couple of storms around the plateau at 6:00 p.m., but they’re not over Crossville. Let’s hope that stays true!