Hot and Humid; Severe Thunderstorms Today

If you haven't stepped outside, don't. Temperatures are in the upper 80's and lower 90's. Humidity is high, thus dew points are high. (Mine is in the lower 70's)

A cold front is pushing through Western TN. Ahead of it, a squall line is setting off numerous severe thunderstorm warnings across Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. Well ahead of the squall line, scattered thunderstorms are developing. All this is moving east.

I will get to the squall line a little later. Right now, I want to focus on the individual cells developing. Our atmosphere is quite unstable, with warm temperatures, high humidity, and sunlight. This is fueling the potential for these storms to become pretty violent. The main concern is damaging wind. Gusts over 80 MPH are possible in some of the storms. Hail, though not as great a concern, is still a probability, as well as lots of lightning. Expect the storms to increase in coverage up until the squall line enters the area.

The squall line poses the threat for another shot of severe weather. Again, the major concern is high wind. Expect the line to move through later this evening. It will have weakened some by the time it enters Northeast Tennessee, but there will still be plenty of activity.

An update will come later.

6/8/07-2:47 PM