Multiple Rounds of Strong to Severe Thunderstorms Heading for West Tennessee

NOTE: This blog post is pertaining to a chance for severe weather that is forecast for tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 as well as a couple other days on the 7-day forecast.

First things first - what a beautiful sunny day it is! There isn't a cloud in the sky over Jackson right now after having a wet weekend when 4" to 6" of rain fell in parts of West Tennessee! Unfortunately, today is one of the few - if not the only completely dry day that we may have for a little while. Wednesday night, Friday night, and Sunday are all days when we could not only have heavy rain, but severe weather as well.

Let's start with tomorrow...

A cold front will travel across Arkansas on Wednesday bringing heavy showers and thunderstorms to that area. As the cold front interacts with warm and humid air, it'll cause a risk for severe weather for most of that state. West Tennessee won't see the cold front until after sunset, so we'll be getting the leftovers of that system. 

Right now, West Tennessee is under a marginal to slight risk (1 to 2 out of 5) for severe weather Wednesday night which includes a threat for damaging winds, large hail, and an isolated tornado. The primary threat appears to be damaging winds for our area. If you have plans Wednesday evening, pay attention to updates on this forecast very closely, especially if you live in an area that is in the slight risk (yellow) area.

The Storm Prediction Center has also flagged our area for a risk for severe weather on Friday when a warm front moves through (Day 4) and on Sunday when another cold front moves through (Day 6). 

But if severe weather wasn't enough, I'm especially concerned with flash flooding happening in West Tennessee again! The GFS model is suggesting 1"-5" for West Tennessee with northwest Tennessee (namely Lake County) getting nearly 6" of rain over the next several days.

The Weather Prediction Center agrees with that suggesting a potential for excessive rainfall in West Tennessee over the next 7 days.

So, as always, stay weather aware! Keep watching our forecast for updates on what's ahead. Have a way to receive severe weather information including watches or warnings if they are issued. I'll keep you posted with another update on WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News!

Summary:

• Severe weather possible Wednesday night, Friday night, and Sunday
• All forms of severe weather are possible including a tornado during those days
• Excessive rainfall is expected over the next 7 days