‍Forecast

Just a couple of days until the first day of fall!

I have an announcement for later next week to a couple of weeks… a nice break from blistering summer-like heat. Climate Prediction Center hinted a period of cooler temperatures during that time in the latest update. Sounds nice?! It sure feels great to enjoy fresh air without feeling like you are being cooked alive in summer heat! Yet, there will be a couple more hot days and some rainy days before we can enjoy nicer weather.

Today- Sunny, Hi-94 (*Caution- Heat Index can get pretty close to 100 if not above, so stay hydrated and cool!*)

Tonight- Partly cloudy, Lo- 71

Friday- Mostly sunny, 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Hi-91

Friday night- Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely (60% chance), Lo- 67

Saturday- Cloudy with showers likely and a thunderstorm possible (60% chance), Hi- 75

Saturday night- Cloudy, 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Lo- 64

Sunday- Cloudy, 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Hi- 75

Sunday night- Cloudy, 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Lo- 66

Monday- Cloudy, 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Hi- 79

Monday night- Mostly cloudy, 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Lo- 68

Tuesday- Mostly cloudy, 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Hi- 82

Tuesday night- Mostly cloudy, 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Lo- 66

Wednesday- Mostly cloudy, 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, Hi- 79

A Penny for Thought

A Different Look at Tennessee Fall and Winter Weather

We grew up learning about the seasons, and we learned to associate fall with beautiful leaf colors and crisp, sweater weather. That’s not always the reality in Tennessee, yet we tend to think that’s unusual weather if the weather doesn’t act like “fall or winter weather.” I wanted to discuss this because, honestly, weather in Tennessee doesn’t fit the expectations of fall weather. This is all from my personal experiences growing up in East Tennessee. The five statements I would describe the real “fall and winter weather” in Tennessee are:

• Wild temperature swings from freezing cold (less than 32) to nearly hot (around 80 or higher)
• Tornadoes and severe weather
• Typically little snow (except for the mountains)
• Few days when it’s raining in buckets all day long
• Sometimes plain mild, drab, and cloudy

Therefore, I’d like to see people reframe what is considered as “fall or winter” weather and learn to go with flow with Tennessee’s wacky weather. I eventually learned to appreciate the whole package deal of weather during that time of year, and I’d choose that over constantly getting snowed in. That means occasionally breaking out T-shirts, shorts, and sandals in the middle of January to enjoy the fresh warmth.

A Brief Introduction to Dixie Alley 101

I have a few questions…

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night and groggily marched to the bathroom or a safe place in your pajamas because the tornado warning went off while you were sleeping?

Have you ever questioned whether if you were dreaming because you watched a severe hailstorm during fall or winter?

Have you ever driven at the maximum speed limit on an interstate highway to beat the storm in the same direction, but you still couldn’t beat it?

Have you ever wished for a snowy Christmas several weeks ago so you can send a nice picture to a “White Christmas” picture contest on the Internet, but ended up submitting a picture of baseball-sized hail and posted it as “southern White Christmas” anyway?

If you can answer yes to any of those questions above, you must have lived long enough in the Dixie Alley, the Tornado Alley’s southern neighbor. I will discuss the Dixie Alley in depth and compare it to the Tornado Alley in next Monday’s article.

Final Statements

Forecast from NWS Nashville and CPC (Climate Prediction Center)

I am a trained NWS spotter, and this blog is meant to be informative about the weather with light humor and commentary on weather-related topics.