July, 2008

Scattered evening showers or thundershowers will be followed by patchy fog late tonight into tomorrow morning. Tomorrow will become mostly sunny and hot. There is a chance of a few stray thundershowers on Saturday but it will still be a hot day. Then High Pressure will bring sunshine along with plenty of heat by Sunday. This dry very hot pattern will be with us at least until the middle of next week.

Keep the umbrella handy today (especially in S.E. Kentucky and bordering East Tennessee counties) as a cold front meanders across our region. Some of the rainfall could be locally heavy today and a few could contain some gusty winds. Keep you fingers crossed that you get some rain today, because if you don't, it might be a while. High pressure will settle into the area over the weekend and put a strangle hold on the Southeastern U.S. through next week. This means a lot of heat, a lot of humidity and very few opportunities for rain.

Isolated showers and storms are possible this evening and may help produce some patchy fog. A slow moving cold front will increase our shower and thunderstorm chances on Thursday so most of the area should get at least some rain. Once the rain threat ends Thursday night, a few clouds will remain on Friday followed by plenty of sun and even more heat Saturday through Monday.

It will be another warm and humid day with additional scattered storms developing, but the timing looks to be a little later today/this evening than the past few days. That means there will be plenty of time for outdoor activities today before the scattered storms pop up. The best bet seems to be between 5pm-9pm for these scattered storms and once again not everyone will see them. Showers and storms do look more likely area-wide on Thursday, so keep the umbrella handy. After Thursday's rain chances, we will dry out and really heat up as we go through the weekend.

A slight chance of rain remains in the forecast tonight along with some patchy fog. A better chance of showers and scattered storms will return for Wednesday afternoon and evening as plenty of heat and humidity is expected to remain in the region. The better chances of rain will return on Thursday as a weak cold front moves into east Tennessee. Right now, drier air is expected Friday and into the weekend as high pressure settles into the area.

Once again we will see some scattered storms this afternoon, but I do not think the coverage will be as widespread as Monday's. The storms that do pop up though could contain some strong, gusty winds and heavy rainfall. If you don't see rain today, it will be hot with highs in the lower 90s. The rain chances will go back up for Wednesday and Thursday, but it dries out and warms up for the weekend.

Showers and storms will end late tonight. This will be followed by patchy fog late tonight into early tomorrow. Look for more heat tomorrow with highs in the Upper 80's to the Low 90's. There is a chance for more scattered showers and storms tomorrow but certainly not everyone will see rain. As a front drops southward, there will be an big increase in the scattered showers and storms by Wednesday. As the front pushes south, Showers and Storms are likely Thursday. So much of the area should pick up more rainfall by the middle of the week.

Mother Nature will turn up the heat again to start the week. Highs will be in the lower 90s today through Wednesday with heat index values in the mid-upper 90s. Rain chances will be spotty at best the next few days (20%-30%), but will go up Wednesday (30%-40%) and Thursday (40%-60%). Basically, it looks a lot like late July in East Tennessee.

Clear and more comfortable tonight but we still may see patchy fog late tonight into early tomorrow. The week will begin quite hot with highs in the Low-Mid 90's in many areas. Most areas will remain dry tomorrow but there is a very slight chance of a stray shower across the Plateau and as you head south toward Chattanooga. By Tuesday there is a slight chance of a shower or a storm across the area. The chance of showers and storms will increase by mid to late week.

The next few days will only bring a SLIGHT chance of a stray shower or thundershower here and there. Since the rain chances will be lower, look for the return of hotter temperatures. Look for readings in the Upper 80's to Lower 90's the next several days. Rain chances may be on the rise once again by the middle of the week.

A stalled out front will mix with warm and humid air on Saturday bringing a pretty good chance of showers and thunderstorms to the region. It won't rain all day but most areas should at least get some rain. The best chance of rain this weekend will be Saturday with just isolated chances on Sunday afternoon. Much the same is expected through the early part of next week as well.....have a good weekend.

An "unsettled" weather pattern will return for the weekend with a little more heat and humidity and some higher rain chances than we have had the past few days. Today will bring a mix of clouds and sun with limited rain chances (a few sprinkles are possible...maybe an isolated storm across the Plateau) and highs in the upper 80s. Temperatures will remain in the upper 80s to near 90 range for the weekend with slightly higher storm chances (about 30-40%) for the weekend.

Mid and high level clouds move across the east Tennessee sky tonight but we will remain dry. The cool front that pushed well south of Knoxville yesterday will work back north as a warm front on Friday and into the weekend. The best chance for an isolated storm on Friday will be over the mountains. Scattered t-storms are possible both Saturday and Sunday afternoons but the weekend will not be a wash out.

We will see a "brief" break from Summer's high heat and humidity. It WILL be warm...highs close to average (upper 80s), but it WON'T be so sticky as drier air settled into the region overnight. This "dry" air mass will only be with us for a short time though as Mother Nature remembers it is late July by the weekend...higher humidity values and scattered afternoon storm opportunities.

A weak cold front has pushed through most of east Tennessee that will allow cooler and less humid air to funnel in tonight and Thursday. Plenty of sun is on the way Thursday. The same front that pushed through today will push back into the region from the south and bring a few scattered storms with more humidity for the weekend.

Scattered storms will be seen (and heard) across the region again today, but the severe threat is NOT expected to be as high as the past two days. Once again, not everyone will see the storms, but those that do may see some locally heavy rain. The system responsible for today's rain will fizzle out as it pushes south through the evening hours allowing us to clear out and cool down overnight into the low 60s (some areas will be in the 50s) by Thursday morning. The more typical Summer patter will return though by the weekend.

A Severe Thunderstorm WATCH expires at 8:00pm for Knox county and all counties north, south and west of Knoxville. Another Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for those counties east of Knoxville until 11:00pm. Some but not all areas could see strong to severe thunderstorms. Most of the activity will settle down shortly after sunset. Shower annd scattered storms return to the forecast Wednesday before drier air follows on Thursday.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH is in effect for much of east Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau until 8:00pm EDT. The WATCH includes Knox County and basically extends north and south along I-75 and west of Knox County. Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible in and near the watch area but not everyone will get hit by the storms. Severe thunderstorms can produce large hail, damaging winds in excess of 60 mph, frequent lightning and heavy rain. Stay tuned to the 6 Storm Team for updates as needed. The most recent information can be found at www.wate.com and on 6 news at 5:00 and 6:00pm.

Strong storms pounded parts of the viewing area on Monday with some damaging winds, scattered power outages and areas of locally heavy rain. We "could" see a repeat performance for a few areas again this afternoon/evening. We are under a slight risk for severe storms today and damaging winds will once again be the main threat. Scattered storms will again be possible Wednesday as a cold front sags into the Valley and stalls out just to our south by Thursday.

A complex of thunderstorms will move southeast from Illinois and Indiana overnight bringing a chance for rain toward morning....if the system doesn't die out. Temperatures reach into the 90's again Tuesday afternoon helping to fire a few more thunderstorms. Some of the storms may be on the strong side once again. Each day this week at least a few scattered storms are possible...especially in the afternoons hours. Get a complete update from Meteorologist Ken Weathers on Good Morning Tennessee beginning at 4:55am.

A cluster of strong and severe thunderstorms has been heading through Kentucky and into east Tennessee this afternoon. The storms have prompted a SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH for the viewing area until 9:00pm. Not everyone will see the strong or severe storms but keep an eye to the sky to be safe. Once the storm threat moves out, some patchy fog is possible overnight. Scattered strong storms are possible the next couple afternoons as well as a slow moving cold front approaches from the north. The 6 Storm Team will keep you updated on any additional WATCHES or WARNINGS.

Dolly is back over the open Gulf of Mexico now and it is still a Tropical Storm. It is expected to strengthen rather rapidly...possibly to Hurricane strength sometime on Tuesday. All eyes will then focus along the Northern Mexico/Texas coast for possible landfall sometime Wednesday afternoon/evening (at least according to most current forecasts). The graphic below is our 6 PREDICTOR foercast model which places the storm system between Brownsville and Corpus Christi, TX early Wednesday.

The heat is on to start the week as highs will soar into the mid 90s today (the record is 98 set in 1985) and with the high humidity values, it will feel more like upper 90s to near 100...please take it easy. The could be a few pop-up storms across the region today, but the better opportunity for rain this week appears to be late Tuesday into Wednesday. We will be keeping a close watch on the tropics as well as things are now becoming more active.

Look for a warm muggy night with patchy late night fog. Monday will be quite hot with most areas seeing temperatures in the 90's. There is a SLIGHT chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm here and there. A cold front will try to push southward. Although it will remain hot and muggy, look for a much better chance of scattered showers and storms to develop on Tuesday and continue into Wednesday. But I still can't promise rain for everyone.

For both today and tomorrow, look for many areas to see temperatures back in the 90's. There is however, a SLIGHT chance of a few stray showers or storms developing here and there. By Tuesday a front will try to work down from the North. The front will not make it through our area and it will not cool us off. But we will see an increase in Shower and Thunderstorm activity by the middle of next week, although we still can't promise rain for everyone.