Memphis residents should brace for an imminent shift in weather, as the forcast reports an incoming system packed with showers and potential thunderstorms. Today's mild and fair conditions, marked by a temperature of 70°F and calm winds, are to give way to increasing clouds, with a high anticipated near 89 degrees, and an easterly breeze picking up between 5 to 10 mph, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
In a classic twist of late summer volatility, the skies are expected to dramatically transform tonight. As the NWS forecasts, showers are likely, particularly in the small hours between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. The serene air will grow unsettled with an east wind circling about 10 mph, and chances of rain climbing to a 60 percent likelihood. This tumult should yield less than a tenth of an inch of new precipitation, but the certainty of wet weather seems all but sealed. NWS paints a wet picture indeed for the coming days.
Thursday ups the ante as showers are to persist, accompanied now by the possible rumblings of thunderstorms after 10 a.m. Amid these disturbances, the NWS warns some storms could to unleash heavy rainfall with guaranteed precipitation rates marking a perfect 100%. The downpour expected could tally between 2 and 3 inches, while the wind, now from the east northeast, is to blow more fiercely at 15 to 20 mph, gusting as high as 35 mph. Temperatures will conversely drop, with the high nearing only 70 degrees.
Continuing this thread, the NWS advises that Thursday night will also be dominated by showers and possible thunderstorms. The wind is expected to persist strong and gusty, although it should taper slightly, shifting from 15 to 20 mph to a gentler 10 to 15 mph range after midnight. Despite this, gusts might still soar upwards to around 35 mph, while chances of precipitation remain dauntingly high at 90%. Memphis streets may well find themselves washed by new rainfall amounts measuring between three quarters and one inch.
The forecast for Friday suggests a continuation of showers, mostly before 1 p.m., with chances sitting at 60%. The cloud cover won't have yet quite cleared, maintaining a mostly cloudy horizon, while a south wind at 10 to 15 mph will prevail. By the evening, however, shower prospects dwindle to 30%, hinting that the weekend could start on a drier note.
As for the weekend outlook, Saturday could offer a reprieve, sporting a mere 20% chance of showers after 1 p.m. and conditions partly sunny, with highs near 79 degrees. A similar pattern trickles into Sunday, which the NWS predicts to be mostly sunny with a high around 83 degrees. The promise of a clearer sky seems to edge closer, a sentiment echoed by the outlook for Monday, when only a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms is foreseen in a mostly sunny backdrop with a high near 84 degrees.
