Strong Storm in Lawrence & Giles Counties
Isolated storms are breaking out in the heat and humidity, with a strong storm over Lawrence and Giles Counties.
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
218 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 2007
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
WEST CENTRAL GILES COUNTY IN TENNESSEE…
CENTRAL LAWRENCE COUNTY IN TENNESSEE…
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF LAWRENCEBURG…
* UNTIL 245 PM CDT
* AT 215 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTH OF LORETTO…OR
ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LAWRENCEBURG…AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT
10 MPH.
* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR…
LAWRENCEBURG BY 230 PM CDT…
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH…PREPARE
IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS…DESTRUCTIVE HAIL…AND DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER…
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
Midday Wx Check
No doubt about the warm and muggy air! Dewpoint temperatures are running in the mid-60s to near 70 degrees, very humid stuff. Meanwhile, the relative humidity is 52% - the main reason I prefer dewpoint to RH when describing how muggy or humid it feels.
At noon, some cumulus clouds were beginning to build. Those cumulus towers will continue to grow in height until rain develops in the cloud’s updraft, becomes too heavy, and cascades down to the ground. In some of the stronger storms with faster updrafts and more rain aloft, the initial downpours are accompanied by sinking air that creates brief but very strong gusts. Damaging wind gusts were observed in Cookeville and Watertown on Friday and near Nolensville Road around the Davidson/Williamson county line on Thursday.
Cells are starting to fire in southern Wayne County as I type, and I think thundershowers will increase in coverage through 3:00 pm. A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued just to our south, for the same type of thunderstorms we’ve dealt with the last few afternoons.
How Much Rain This Week?
If you’re interested in just how much rain you picked up the last few days, I highly recommend heading over to the Tennessee CoCoRaHS site (it’s an extensive volunteer network of rainfall observations). You can view rain totals for individual days, and many counties have several sites up and running. Check it out!
CoCoRaHS = Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network
Wind Damage in Cookeville on Friday
Many thanks to Mike in Cookeville for sharing these images. A thunderstorm rumbled through Putnam County yesterday afternoon; it must have had very strong winds to knock down such a sizable billboard, as well as downing a tree into the side of Park View Elementary. Mike maintains a great weather blog here; you can view full-size pictures at his site.
Saturday Forecast: Additional T’Storms
I expect scattered thundershowers to re-develop today. The weekend isn’t the best timing, but given the drought we’ll take all the rain we can get. Yesterday’s rain chance was at 60%, and I’d peg today’s odds at 50%. A few isolated showers are around this morning (as well as patchy dense fog) and thundershowers should start to fire before midday. They’ll be most numerous from late morning through the afternoon, just like the last few days. It wouldn’t surprise me if a handful of severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for strong wind gusts later this afternoon; we’ll keep you posted.
I’ll mention an isolated t’shower chance tomorrow, but primarily for areas south of I-40 with a drying trend through the late afternoon. A stretch of dry weather is expected from Monday through Thursday (the 4th of July currently looks dry).
A Few Trees and Tree Limbs Blown Down, Damage Not Widespread
Large tree limbs down in the Watertown area this afternoon.
The above picture was taken by Taylor Sowell in Watertown in Wilson County. There were also some trees down just to the west of Watertown.
Luckily, the damage was not that widespread and areas in northern Middle Tennessee received some welcome rain. As mentioned before, south Middle Tennessee did not see as much rain comparatively speaking. There is about a 30% chance on Saturday, especially to the south, so keep your fingers crossed.
6:30pm Radar Update
Scattered t’storms brought heavy rains and frequent lightning to much of the north half of Middle Tennessee this afternoon and early evening. Those storms are pushing through the northeast corner of Middle Tennessee and onto the Cumberland Plateau.
At 6:30pm there was another area of heavy thunderstorms about to cross the Tennessee River. These storms extend from Paris to I-40. As they move across the river into an area already cooled by previous storms, they may lose a little intensity, but still bring some rains into the north half of Middle Tennessee.
However, the southern counties have not received as much rain so far.
Memphis radar shows some more developing near Jackson, which could reach some of our southern counties later. However, the sun will set and take away some of the heat, so it’s possible that our southern counties will be “ripped off” as far as today’s rainfall is concerned.
However, tomorrow, we will have some scattered storms most numerous in our southern counties. Let’s hope they get their share!
4:00 pm Radar Update
Still mainly dry in Nashville as we pass 4:00 pm…
Heavy thunderstorm continues to rumble past Wilson County through Smith and DeKalb counties, while Cookeville watches the action push east for now.
Dickson, Centerville and Hohenwald should see additional t’showers before 5:00 pm.
Storms pushing past Gallatin through eastern Sumner County, while another batch moves by Springfield. Meanwhile, a good, steady light/moderate rain continues across parts of Montgomery, Stewart and Henry counties.
Latest StormTracker image.
Latest visible satellite image.
2:00 pm Radar Update
As we pass 2:00 pm, there are a few showers around Nashville but the heavy stuff has missed Davidson County thus far.
A heavy thunderstorm is moving east along Highway 840 toward Murfreesboro. Lots of lightning and torrential downpours, but no warnings for hail or wind just yet…
There is a severe thunderstorm warning for Stewart County, just north of Dover. Again, count on lightning and heavy rain, with the possibility of strong wind or small hail in some spots.
Latest StormTracker image.
Latest visible satellite image.
Severe T’Storm Warning
A severe thunderstorm warning was just issued for Henry County for a cell north of Paris with hail potential and strong wind gusts (as well as lightning and downpours).
Read the latest warnings here or just click on the “Watches and Warnings” link on the right side of the blog.
