Nothing but sunshine again today as the great November weather continues. Not as breezy as yesterday but highs right back in the 60’s. Tonight another cold start, lows in the upper 30’s. Friday it’ll be just as dry and a little warmer with a high in the uper 60’s. Around 70 for a high on Saturday with only a few clouds by Sunday. Dry until late Monday.

Heavy rains off to the east (the Carolinas) from what remains of Ida. Some good rains yesterday across our east and southeast yesterday, up to an inch in many areas.  Today some clouds along the eastern edge but mostly sunny skies ahead with a brisk north wind at 10-15mph. Clear skies tonight and lows get down in the upper 30’s. Highs tomorrow right back in the low 60’s.  Record rains yesterday down across Alabama and Georgia, areas that already had record rains across Sept. and Oct..

Need I say more?      Oh, yeah, a chilly wind blowing out of the northeast on Wednesday will make it feel much cooler than the 60s.

The only rain of November so far continues across the southeast for most of the day. It appears that it’ll stay dry from a line Hendersonville to Hohenwald. Tropical Storm Ida came onshore around sunrise on the eastern side of Mobile Bay and immediately started to hug the coast moving east. Though this will be a flooding rain across Alabama and Georgia it only gets into about a third of middle Tennessee before moving east early evening.

If Nashville doesn’t get any rain from Ida today the dry spell continues. No rain the first nine days of November with no rain (after today) back in the forecast until next Monday.  This would qualify for the longest dry spell of YEAR. Yes, ever since we rolled into July we’ve had cool and wet weather. All the months since April save for August logged above normal rainfall. The average high is running below normal as well (four months in a row now with October a whopping 5.0 degrees below normal for daily maximum, the largest gap of any month in the last 8 years).

Then suddenly we start in November and it dries out. And stays warm! We’ve yet to get a hard freeze in most of the basin, the growing season got off to an early start and its lasting longer as well. Right now we are exactly 30 days long, a full month of extra garden-growing season.

Not only is there no significant rain in the forecast after today for the next six days there is no shot of cold air either. So the dry weather, and the growing season for many, continues.

Tropical Storm Ida comes onshore this morning around Mobile Bay. It’s been raining since yesterday over much of the panhandle of Florida, Alabama and Georgia. The storm produces a glancing blow of rain for middle Tennessee however; Nashville and to the north and west it’ll be a few showers this morning. For the southeast corner down the I-24 corridor and on the plateau it’ll rain most of the day. Temperatures there will only be in the mid-50’s all day, meanwhile along the banks of the Tennessee river on our western edge (where it’ll be dry) it’ll hit around 70 today.

Here is how Predictor distributes the rain at the Noon hour:

By end of the day the rain will be just on our eastern edge. Tomorrow skies clear a little with a brisk north wind. Highs will only be in the low 60’s.

First, we have a tropical system in the Gulf and, now, Iris is Norene… is this November or what??

Cindy Wilson took this photo of iris in full bloom in her yard in Norene in Wilson County Monday morning.  We’ve had a few cold nights here and there but not the kind of cold yet that would nip this in the bud!

A low pressure system just off shore of New Orleans has pushed clouds into middle Tennessee. These clouds are not associated with Hurricane Ida which is forecast to come on shore around Mobile Bay tomorrow morning. Today another 70 degree day despite the lack of clear blue sky that spoiled us this weekend.  Rain chances start to show up overnight, ending one of the longer dry spells of 2009. Rain chances pick up tomorrow through the day, the best chances along with heavier rain will be across our southern counties along the Alabama state line and the southeast quarter from Murfreesboro to Manchester. Below you see how Predictor has the rain here by morning Tuesday:

Hurricane Ida is packing 90 plus winds and moving north. It will weaken but likely still be a hurricane when it arrives tomorrow ealry morning on the coast. Hurricane warnings and watches are in effect at the coast. The low pressure system already to the west of the landfall will only enhance rain fall totals, forecast to be 5″-6″ of rain along with a tornado threat.

Sunshine and a south breeze at 10mph and voila:  Perfect weather!!  Saturday’s highs low to mid 70s and Sunday well into the mid 70s.

Ever since we rolled into November we’ve enjoyed some great Fall weather. It continues today and this weekend, getting even warmer for Saturday and Sunday. Today after a near-freeze (and Freeze Warnings) we warm quickly to the upper 60’s by afternoon. Sunny skies prevail again, clear skies tonight but with a southeast wind we’ll only drop down to around 40. Saturday will be sunny and in the low 70’s, we might even get into the mid-70’s on Sunday with just a few clouds.

Tropical Depression Ida is over Central America right now but forecast to get into the Gulf by Tuesday. It appears we’ll get a glancing blow from its moisture, rain chances start up here on Monday night. Tuesday will be our first big rain since the new month, ending one of the longer dry spells of 2009.

Just as we were ready to write off the 2009 Hurricane season as calmest one in two decades, just off shore Nicaragua Ida becomes a catagory one hurricane. It will dump huge rains on the Central America nation over the next two days as it re-enters the southern Gulf of Mexico and strengthens again.