A strong low pressure system was responsible for the damaging wind gusts early Sunday morning with the thunderstorms. The strongest gusts actually arrived well after the storms had ended Sunday afternoon. As the main front pushed through, a shifting wind from the southwest to northwest flexed its muscle across the region. Here is a look at some of the peak wind gust readings from around the viewing area. The Record Peak Wind Gust in Chattanooga is 56mph which occurred in June of 1987.

Peak Wind Gusts Sunday

Chattanooga: 39mph

Murphy, NC: 46mph
Rome, GA: 44mph
Ft Payne, AL: 38mph
Crossville, TN: 38mph
Dalton, GA: 36mph

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

Photo Submitted by Newschannel 9 Chief Photographer Brent McDonald (click for larger view)

Photo Submitted by Zach Maye Evensville, TN

Happy Mother’s Day!

Well, for the 8th weekend in a row there will be a chance of rain at some point during the 48 hour period. While it does make it tough on some outside plans, we do need the rainfall as the yearly deficit is nearing the 4 inch mark. Here is the scoop on the weekend ahead for the Tennessee Valley.

Saturday: Some showers will have occurred before sunrise during the night, but most of the day will be dry. Expect a cloudy sky during the morning, then partly cloudy and warm during the afternoon. Afternoon temperatures should reach the lower 80s (70s mountains) and a breeze from the northwest, but becoming variable late in the day.

Saturday Night: Clouds rapidly move in. Dry for the evening, so it will be nice for a cookout! Scattered showers and even a thunderstorm will be possible late and toward sunrise. Overnight temperatures should cool to the lower 60s.

Sunday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms should become likely, especially during the morning. Fewer showers through late afternoon. It will be much cooler Sunday as high temperatures will stay in the lower 70s.

Sunday Night: Cloudy, then partly cloudy late and quite cool with an overnight low from 47 to 51.

Monday: Partly cloudy and cooler than normal with an afternoon high in the lower 70s.

REGIONAL TRAVEL WEATHER

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Smoky Mtns: Saturday: A few showers early, then partly cloudy. Morning Low: 58. Afternoon High: 76
Sunday: Showers and a few thunderstorms: Morning Low: 59. Afternoon High: 68.

Atlanta (Six Flags): Saturday: Partly Sunny. Morning Low: 62. Afternoon High: 83
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms. Morning Low: 61. Afternoon High: 73.

Nashville: Saturday: Partly cloudy. Morning Low: 61. Afternoon High: 82.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms. Morning Low: 60. Afternoon High: 74.

Gulf Beaches (Gulf Shores/Pensacola/Destin): Saturday: Partly Sunny. Morning Low: 67. Afternoon High: 87.
Sunday: Afternoon T-Showers. Morning Low: 66. Afternoon High: 78

A few helpful links to follow local conditions:
Storm Track 9 Live Radar
Storm Track 9 7-Day Forecast
Storm Track 9 Live Neighborhood Net

Have a terrific, but safe weekend!

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

The Tornado Watch will expire for the Newschannel 9 viewing area at 7pm…..expect general rain showers through mid evening, and most isolated storms will stay below severe limits. I will continue to monitor the radar and provide updates when necessary.

6:50pm - Fairly robust cell from the TN/GA border near Red Clay southward through Cohutta to Prater’s Mill. Very heavy rain occurring, but so far staying below severe limits. In Bradley County, north east of Clevelan from Baugh Spring to about Misty Ridge, some heavy rain is occurring…..Also, some moderate rain near Decatur moving toward Athens. Heavy rain is slowly ending from west to east.

6:05pm - Still “Warning Free”, but most areas are wet. Moderate rainfall in Marion County from Whitwell to Jasper. Signal Mountain also experiencing moderate rainfall. There has not been a lot of lightning with these cells, but some wind gusts above 35mph will be possible. The strongest cell is over central and southern Walker County from Cooper Heights to Lafayette. Brief wind gusts and heavy downpours can be expected there. This will also affect the Pigeon Mtn region as well as Chickamauga and Rock Spring.

5:25pm: Warning-Free at the moment……..The Warning for Jackson County was cancelled. This cell will continue moving northeast toward Stevenson, Bridgeport and neighboring areas of Dade (GA) and Marion (TN) County. The main elements of this cell will be heavy downpours of rain, wind gusts above 35 and frequent lightning. Elsewhere most of the cells are below severe limits. It will be a wet period for the next 2 hours. So, any outdoor plans will be put to a halt through the early evening.

4:35pm: Tornado Warning for Jackson County until 4:15pm CT……This cell is on the far southern end of Jackson County and will move northeast toward Section, Pisgah and Scottsboro. This is a radar indicated warning, meaning that the storm has the potential for tornadic development…..Elsewhere, a strong storm noted on the northeast part of Franklin County just south of Tullahoma. This cell is showing some signs of rotation meaning that it could produce some large hail and damaging wind gusts above 55mph. A line of heavy rain pushing east from western Jackson County, Al not associated with the current Warning.

3:55pm: Mostly rain with some heavier pockets locally. The strongest storms to approach our local region is lining up now from just south of McMinnville to Huntsville, AL. Western Franklin and Coffee counties can expect heavy rain and wind gusts above 35mph along with frequent lightning. Also western Jackson County, AL will have the souther edge of this line advancing into the county at 3pm CT. The strongest storms with this line are well south of our viewing area. Gadsden southward to Birmingham can expect stronger storms and potential wind damage.

3:10pm - Light to at times moderate rain is currently moving across the immediate metro area. Downtown to East Brainerd is wet and from Jasper to Coalmont also experiencing some moderate rainfall. Currently, no severe storms are over our local counties. the strongest storms are from Lewisburg, TN southward to Huntsville, AL. There was a Tornado Warning associated with the cell that moved past Lewisburg. This cell should enter western Franklin County by 3:45pm. Current temp at WTVC: 75.

Red Cross Update On Cyclone Relief
Latest Cyclone Update With Maps

The Cyclone that struck Myanmar (formerly Burma) was a devastating storm. Storms such as these in the Indian Ocean basin are called “cyclones”, but are the same as “hurricanes” in the Atlantic and Gulf and “typhoons” in the western Pacific. This particular storm was equivalent to a major category 3 or 4 hurricane. Below is a satellite image of the storm taken by NASA before it reached the lowland areas of Myanmar before landfall. (click on image below). The storm surge was the most devastating element of this storm sending a massive tidal surge through the lowland region.

Photos of Storm Damage (Click on each for a larger view)

Cyclone Nargis Wikipedia Storm History

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

So far, 2008 has been wetter than 2007. Through today (5/5), we have received 17.73 inches of rain compared to 11.52 inches in 2007. Even though the grass is greener and the lakes are a little fuller we are still in the midst of a severe drought. Here is the latest state by state update:

The upcoming 3 month outlook from the Climate Prediction Center still keeps our region in the “some improvement category for rainfall projections through mid Summer.

In the short term, both the 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks keep our region in the “above normal” category for rainfall.

2008 has had a nice start, but we need to keep up this pace (and more) to ensure that we get through the summer months without the drought conditions getting worse. These small steps in added rainfall are slowly easing us out of the Exceptional Drought category that we were under last Summer.

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

The weekend is here once again! And, once again, for the 6th weekend in a row there will be a chance of rain. Even though some outdoor activities will be affected, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we need the rain. Overall, Saturday will be wet and Sunday will be dry. Here are the details for each time period.

Saturday: Cloudy early with showers possible from sunrise and through midday. Some strong to severe storms could also move through from 8am-2pm. By late afternoon, the heaviest showers and embedded storms will have moved east. Expect afternoon temperatures in the middle 70s. A southwest, then west wind at 10mph, but higher gusts during storms.

Saturday Night: Any remaining showers rapidly ending, then drier and slightly cooler overnight with temperatures dropping back to near 50. A north wind at 10mph.

Sunday: Sunny with lower humidity and an afternoon high in the middle 70s. A north breeze at 10mph.

Sunday Night: Clear and cool with an overnight low in the middle 40s.

Monday: Sunny and warmer with an afternoon high in the upper 70s.

Local Travel Weather

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Dollywood: Saturday: Showers and Thunderstorms. Morning Low: 58. Afternoon High: 70.
Sunday: Sunny. Morning Low: 47. Afternoon High: 72.

Atlanta (Six Flags): Saturday: Showers and Severe Thunderstorms. Morning Low: 62. Afternoon High: 76.
Sunday: Sunny. Morning Low: 51. Afternoon High: 75.

Nashville: Saturday: Showers and Storms During the Morning. Morning Low: 63. Afternoon High: 70.
Sunday: Sunny. Morning Low: 46. Afternoon High: 70.

Destin/Ft Walton/Panama City: Saturday: Showers and Severe Thunderstorms. Morning Low: 66. Afternoon High: 76.
Sunday: Sunny. Morning Low: 58. Afternoon High: 77.

The Storm Track 9 Team will keep you posted of the threat of severe weather Saturday.

Have a safe weekend!

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

The last morning of April was colder than normal, but not a record. The official low temperature in Chattanooga was 40. The record of 38 degrees from 1965 still stands! Our Live Neighborhood Network showed some locations like Decatur, Etowah, and Dunlap dropped to 33 degrees. Morning temperatures will warm significantly through the Friday and the weekend.

Kudos to my hometown of Chickamauga, GA for their efforts to widen the radius of their tornado warning siren system. When seconds matter, a siren could be the warning you need to get to safety. Here is the article from the Walker County Messenger.

A weather alert radio is a device that every home should have. It provides you with an audible alert when weather warnings are issued. Newschannel 9 has partnered with Food Lion to provide you an affordable weather alert radio that you can buy locally.

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

Here is a sampling of the low temperatures from around the region this morning:

Storm Track 9 Neighborhood Net Sites
Lafayette Middle School: 35
Pikeville, Elem: 32
Etowah: 33
Cleveland (Prospect Elem): 34
Athens-Westside School: 36

Local Airport Readings
Chattanooga: 39
Crossville, TN: 34
Ft Payne, AL: 33
Murphy, NC: 35
Dalton, GA: 37
Rome, GA: 42

The record low in Chattanooga for Wednesday is 38 degrees. We should at least tie that mark by morning. Other spots away from the city could slip down to near freezing by morning. Here is the text of the Freeze Warning. A Frost Advisory is in effect for parts of north Georgia. This should be a very short lived time frame of when the frost/freeze temperatures exist, so it should limit crop damage. Nevertheless, you will want to protect any tender plants from tonight’s chill. Temperatures by Wednesday afternoon should quickly warm into the lower/middle 70s. Temperatures by Thursday morning will not be as cold as temperatures will hold in the middle/upper 40s. The warming trend should continue through the end of the week and into the weekend.

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist

A late April/early May cool snap is typically called Blackberry Winter as it coincides with the time the blackberries are in bloom. There are some blooms in north Alabama and a few in Tennessee. So, the upcoming cool snap could be considered the 2008 version of Blackberry Winter. A clipper system will roll through the Tennessee Valley overnight Monday night and early Tuesday morning. This will bring a few patchy areas of light rain overnight, but also some unseasonably cool air. Temperatures by Tuesday morning should be in the lower 40s with a brisk breeze from the northwest. Sunshine should return for Tuesday, but afternoon temperatures should only reach the lower 60s which would be about 12 degrees below normal. The chilliest morning should be Wednesday as temperatures around sunrise could dip into the upper 30s. Most of our region should be frost free, but it would not surprise me if a few isolated areas away from the city could dip into the lower/middle 30s and even see a little patchy frost. The chill will not last long as temperatures should rapidly rebound to the middle 70s Wednesday afternoon and near 80 Thursday and Friday.

Quick rainfall update: The rainfall Sunday is just what we needed to try and stay up to pace for Spring. The 2 day total for Sunday and Monday was 1.27 inches. For 2008, our total is 17.36 inches which is 3.05 inches below normal. For the month of April we are 0.77 inches below normal and for Spring (March 1-May 31) we are just 0.42 inches below normal. The rainfall Sunday and Monday provided the boost we needed.

David Glenn
Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist