The National Weather Service in Knoxville has issued a forecast predicting a likelihood of showers and thunderstorms today, particularly concentrated between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Despite the anticipated precipitation, temperatures are expected to soar, reaching a high near 91 degrees with heat index values as high as 98. Winds are predicted to be calm early on, shifting to a westerly direction around 5 mph in the afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, there's a 70 percent chance of precipitation, with potential rainfall measuring between a quarter and half an inch.
Coming into tonight, the odds for showers and thunderstorms drop to 40 percent, mainly before 11 p.m. The weather should remain mostly cloudy with a low temperature hovering around 72 degrees; however, the calm southwest winds at 5 mph are expected to help alleviate some of the stickiness. Moving into Tuesday, the chance of storms after 2 p.m. diminishes slightly to 30 percent, but the heat persists with highs nearing 92 degrees and heat index values potentially topping 98 once again.
As the week progresses, the chance for precipitation varies day to day with the lowest probability on Thursday night at just 10 percent before 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday daytime temperatures will continue to climb, estimated to reach highs near 93 and 95 degrees, respectively, also with calm winds according to the NWS forecast. As the weekend approaches, from Friday to Sunday, the likelihood of showers and thunderstorms increases again, with a consistent 60 percent chance during the weekend days and a mix of mostly sunny skies and hot conditions keeping the highs near 93 degrees.
In addition to the heat and thunderstorms, the NWS Morristown, TN, has released a Hazardous Weather Outlook cautioning about the strong to severe storms possible this afternoon and evening. They note that "strong wind gusts and localized flooding" are of particular concern, especially in areas that have already felt the brunt of excessive rainfall over the past few days. Further compounding concerns, a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for Southwest Virginia through this evening, while heat index values throughout the week are expected to cross the 100 mark across central and southern Tennessee Valley locations.
