Tornado Watch for Eastern TennesseePosted Apr21, 2006 at 05:43 PM
What is likely to be an after-midnight dose of soaking rains for our area is currently making its way northeastward as a cluster of thunderstorms in Alabama. Conditions are much more unstable in north Alabama, east Tennessee, north Georgia and the far western tip of North Carolina than they are here. Temperatures are well into the 70s in that area, with dew points in the 60s ... as compared to temperatures in the 60s and dew points in the 50s here. With some conditions right in the atmosphere for some localized spin on these storms, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch untill 11 p.m. for a section of east Tennessee including Chattanooga and Knoxville, reaching north to the Virginia-Tennessee line. (See inset map from SPC, with Roanoke as dot in upper right corner.) An outbreak on the scale of the two that killed more than 30 people in Tennessee earlier this month is not at all likely, but a few tornadoes along with lots of high wind and large hail reports appear probable. The storms will move our direction as the night wears on, but encountering much more stable air, a lot of the energy will be robbed from the storms. The moisture will be plentiful, though, with enhanced lift in our mountainous terrain. Most of Southwest Virginia will probably see an inch or more of rain tonight, with locally heavier amounts. Normally, that would raise fears of flash flooding; some isolated flooding may yet occur, but with conditions having been so dry, it probably won't be widespread. For the latest severe weather watches, click on the Storm Prediction Center watches page. |
About this blog
Kevin Myatt works on the copy desk for The Roanoke Times and is its principal weather geek, writing a weekly weather column and advising the newsroom on weather topics. He helps guide students on a storm chasing trip to the central U.S. each May and was an editor for "Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States." .....Advertisement.....
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