The National Weather Service in Knoxville forecasts a wet and potentially stormy week ahead for parts of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. According to the latest update, showers and thunderstorms are highly likely today, with a 90% chance of precipitation and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. The showers could bring between a tenth and a quarter of an inch of new rainfall, with higher amounts possible in thunderstorms, as reported by the National Weather Service.
Following today's storms, the weather tonight will likely continue to bring more showers and thunderstorms before 9 pm, with a patchy fog creeping in after 3 am. As per the NWS, expect the temperature to hover around 61 degrees, with a calm West wind of around 5 mph. The showers could leave behind less than a tenth of an inch of new rainfall, but stronger thunderstorms might drop more.
Looking ahead to the rest of the week, the NWS forecasts that the fog will clear by Thursday morning, leading to a mostly cloudy day that will gradually become sunny with a high near 80 degrees. However, clouds are set to return on Friday, bringing a 60% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon.
"Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms expected this afternoon and evening," as stated by the NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook. While severe weather isn't anticipated for most areas today, there's a mention of a "marginal threat" that clips small parts of Eastern Tennessee, where strong storms could show gusty winds and small hail.
NWS also warns of more widespread showers and thunderstorms on Friday afternoon into late Friday night, and while uncertainty remains, there's a potential for some of these storms to turn severe. "If severe storms were to occur, damaging winds would be the most likely hazard," as detailed by the NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook.
Although not currently required, the NWS encourages spotters to report if any strong to severe storms do occur. The stretch of unsettled weather looks to persist with several chances for showers and thunderstorms throughout the weekend and into next Tuesday. The public is advised to keep a close watch on the skies and stay informed as the situation develops.
