WEATHER
Get ready for another round of weather whiplash, beginning with a steep north-to-south temperature gradient across the Midstate today — temperatures will reach the low 60s in Nashville, but locations along the TN/AL state line will be near 70° while southern Kentucky hovers around 50°:
That temperature contrast will help spark another chance of showers and thunderstorms by mid to late afternoon, continuing into this evening. The HRRR model’s radar simulation shows that the best chance of rain will be east of I-65:
A few storms could be strong, with damaging winds and hail. The Storm Prediction Center has included much of the Midstate in a “Marginal Risk” (level 1 of 5) of severe weather, and they’ve even included our easternmost counties in a “Slight Risk” (level 2 of 5):
That means that a few storms could briefly reach severe limits, but it’s not likely. I really think the Slight Risk is a bit much, especially since the SPC’s own forecast model only shows a 20-30% chance of storms with some severe weather characteristics:
Substantially colder air will catch up to the last of the showers, producing a little bit of snow in eastern Middle Tennessee late tonight:
Accumulations aren’t likely, since the ground will be wet and warm.
Colder weather settles in Thursday, with highs only around 40°, then we’ll warm up again as we head into the weekend:
Despite the warm temperatures, it doesn’t look like the weather will be all that great for outdoor activities — Saturday will be breezy with some spotty light showers.
Sunday will bring us a better chance of showers and storms late in the day — the front that sparks those storms will usher in near-normal temperatures for the first half of next week:
Another chance of rain will sneak up from the south on Tuesday — the path of that type of system is typically a snow-maker this time of year, but it just doesn’t look like there will be any cold air in place to allow for wintry precipitation.
LINKS
- The big national weather story yesterday was the tornado outbreak around New Orleans.
- One of those tornadoes hit NASA’s complex in Michoud, LA…where they’re building the big fuel tanks for the SLS moon/Mars rocket.
- The storm in California late last year had a big effect — Lake Tahoe gained 8.7 billion gallons of water in just 2 days.
- If the clouds hold off long enough Friday night, you could catch a rare “triple treat” in the sky: a lunar eclipse, a full moon, and a comet!
- Arctic sea ice coverage for January 2017 was the lowest recorded for that month in the 38-yr satellite record.
- A crack in an Antarctic ice shelf grew 17 miles in the last two months.
- 3 ways you can help the world’s climate scientists right now.
- This is pretty cool: NWS radars picked up the remnants of a meteor before it splashed down in Lake Michigan Sunday night.
- Well, here’s a cheery question: what would happen if an asteroid hit New York?
- NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently made another swing around Jupiter, and the pictures are spectacular.
- Why do animals love to play in the snow?
- Here’s your nightmare fuel for the day: video of great white sharks trying to eat underwater research drones.
- How sneeze particles travel inside an airplane.
- T cells, which protect our bodies from foreign invaders, may also help us think. (So my question is, can we implant those cells in folks who…ya know…might need some help in that regard? Especially in Nashville traffic?)
