Meteorologist Mark

It looks we’ll get a break from the rain today.  The front that brought us rain yesterday has sagged to our south, taking the deepest moisture with it. The front is still close enough that we could see an isolated shr or storm this afternoon, esp south of I-40. By tomorrow, the front throws a bit more moisture our way and we should see scattered showers and storms at any point during the day. That forecast holds true right on through the weekend and into early next week.  As of now, Thursday looks to be the wettest day of the week, but scattered showers and storms can happen anytime, day or night, in this kind of pattern. Highs each day will be in the mid to upper 70s, with lows in the low to mid 60s.

Next week looks continued unsettled, with a possible tropical system thrown in as well. As of now, and things can certainly change, it looks like we may have a tropical system impacting the Carolinas and throwing moisture all the way over to us. It’s something to watch as models have been consistent with this forecast. I’ll keep an eye on it! If you, or anyone you know, has travel plans to the Carolinas next week, pay attention to the forecast.

We’ve seen a bit of an usual August so far, but it’s not the first time August has been unusual! On this date in 1989, a total of 99 cities across the central and eastern US recorded record low temperatures.  Mt Mitchell, NC was the coldest spot in the nation on this date, with a morning low of 35 degrees! On this date in 1882 a ship on Lake Michigan reported being covered with six inches of snow and slush, and snow showers were reported along the shores of Lake Michigan. That’s weirdly cold even by their standards! Most of our records here in Crossville for August are for heat, but ever once in a while we have a cooler-than-average August, like the one we’re having now. What does that mean for the fall and winter? I’ll have more on that later on!

If you were needing rain, this is your week! The radar shows that we will not be hard pressed for showers and storms today, so if you have to head out for anything be sure and take that umbrella. Every day this week brings a good chance of showers and storms. Those showers will keep our temps below normal limits, with highs each day in the mid to upper 70s. Lows at night will fall into the low to mid 60s. The driest day of the week looks to be tomorrow, but we still can’t rule out an isolated shower or storm.  Rain chances continue right on through the weekend. The good news is that we aren’t expecting any widespread severe weather this week, just showers and typical summer-time storms. Just always be mindful of that lightning!

The tropics have heated up a bit this morning, with a new tropical storm that has been named Franklin. It will hang out in the Caribbean before making landfall in Mexico and then heading back into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm should then hit the east coast of Mexico as a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane. We’re still watching a disturbance farther out in the Atlantic. It doesn’t look to develop into anything of concern until later this week and into the weekend. I’ll keep an eye on it!

I was looking at the records for today and we had better be thankful that this isn’t August of 1930! That was a scorcher of a month! In fact, during this week of 1930 Middle TN had one of the worst heat waves we’ve ever had. Even places on the plateau were in the 100-105 degree range! Nashville hit 111 degrees! That was one hot week and a far cry from what we’ll see this week!

AS you can see by the radar below, we have showers/storms to our west and to our south. All are moving our way for the overnight hours. Rain will continue on Monday. Storms are expected to remain below severe levels, though gusty winds and heavy downpours are possible.  The week looks wet, with Tuesday being the driest day. Temps will also be below normal, mostly due to the clouds and showers.

We’re still keeping an eye on the tropics, though there’s really nothing new to report today. That will change soon. I’ll keep you posted.

Today will be very similar to yesterday, weather-wise. We’ll see highs near 80 and an isolated shower/storm. On Friday we’ll start to see the influence of a strong cold front that will be approaching. It now looks like most of the day may be dry, with only isolated showers/storms. However, as we get closer to the evening hours the shower and storm chances increase. A few storms could be strong but widespread severe weather is not expected. Saturday still looks awesome, with highs in the mid 70s and super low humidity. It may even feel a bit chilly Sunday morning! On Sunday, the pattern starts to change and we may have to deal with some clouds and showers. Next week looks to be below normal with temps and above normal with rainfall.

We’re keeping an eye on a system that just came off the coast of Africa. It has a very good chance of becoming a tropical storm over the next week. I’ll keep an eye on it.

Wish me luck at Memphis Air Traffic Control today! I’m so excited! I’m sure I’ll have lots to tell!