Great blog on Middle TN weather

Hey everyone! Go and check out the new, handy-dandy Southern Tennessee Weather Blog! This blog was just created today by one of my friends from the TN WX Zone forum, and I am sure it will have some great weather info from that area. The counties covered in that blog are: Marshall, Maury, Giles, Bedford, Lawrence, Lincoln, Moore, Franklin, Wayne, Coffee, Perry, and Lewis (all in TN). Be sure to stop by!

The address is http://southerntnwx.blogspot.com/.

Heat Advisory extended until Tuesday

The Heat Advisory that was in effect has been extended until 7 PM Tuesday. According to the notice, actual high temperatures on Monday and Tuesday will be in the mid-upper 90s. With the high humidities we will have this week, heat indices will be 105-110 degrees. Once again, here are some heat safety tips from the Red Cross:

• Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
• Stay indoors as much as possible. If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor, out of the sunshine. Try to go to a public building with air conditioning each day for several hours. Remember, electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help sweat evaporate, which cools your body.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun's energy.
• Drink plenty of water regularly and often. Your body needs water to keep cool.
• Drink plenty of fluids even if you do not feel thirsty.
• Water is the safest liquid to drink during heat emergencies. Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them. They can make you feel good briefly, but make the heat's effects on your body worse. This is especially true about beer, which dehydrates the body.
• Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat.
• Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.

Also, you need to know what types of illnesses heat can cause:

• Heat cramps: Heat cramps are muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are an early signal that the body is having trouble with the heat.
• Heat exhaustion: Cool, moist, pale, or flushed skin; heavy sweating; headache; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; and exhaustion. Body temperature will be near normal.
• Heat stroke: Hot, red skin; changes in consciousness; rapid, weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. Body temperature can be very high-- as high as 105 degrees F. If the person was sweating from heavy work or exercise, skin may be wet; otherwise, it will feel dry.

What to do if these illnesses occur:

• Heat cramps: Get the person to a cooler place and have him or her rest in a comfortable position. Lightly stretch the affected muscle and replenish fluids. Give a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Do not give liquids with alcohol or caffeine in them, as they can make conditions worse.
• Heat exhaustion: Get the person out of the heat and into a cooler place. Remove or loosen tight clothing and apply cool, wet cloths, such as towels or sheets. If the person is conscious, give cool water to drink. Make sure the person drinks slowly. Give a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Do not give liquids that contain alcohol or caffeine. Let the victim rest in a comfortable position, and watch carefully for changes in his or her condition.
• Heat stroke: Heat stroke is a life-threatening situation. Help is needed fast. Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. Move the person to a cooler place. Quickly cool the body. Immerse victim in a cool bath, or wrap wet sheets around the body and fan it. Watch for signals of breathing problems. Keep the person lying down and continue to cool the body any way you can. If the victim refuses water or is vomiting or there are changes in the level of consciousness, do not give anything to eat or drink.

Thanks to the Red Cross for this information. For more information on heat waves, visit the Red Cross page or this page from the NWS.

Heat Advisory in effect today

The NWS in Memphis has issued a Heat Advisory for the entire Mid-South today. It is in effect from 11 AM - 7 PM. Heat indices could reach 110 today. Please take the proper precautions and limit your outdoor activity.

Flooding reeks havoc on Tennessee this afternoon

You probably weren't aware, but it rained in the northwestern portion of the Memphis CWA today. And it rained a lot. Radar estimates show almost 8" of rain over that area, and that is probably under the real amount. Now, before Noah opens his ark, let me tell you about some of the incidents in our area.

• Near Clarksburg, TN (12:35 PM): Many county roads flooded
• Chesterfield, TN (12:39 PM): Caramel Cove Road flooded
• Parsons, TN (12:41 PM)
• Four businesses have 4" of flood water
• One home has 6" of water, and another has nearly a foot of water
• Sections of almost every road in town is flooded with almost two feet of water

Forum looking for Mid-South members

Hey everyone! TalkWeather, a great weather forum, is looking for more Mid-South members. We already have two people from the local NWS, and a few others (including myself). We would greatly appreciate if you could join.

The address is www.talkweather.com.

Heat advisory in effect Friday

The NWS in Memphis has issued a Heat Advisory for the entire Mid-South Friday, from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM CDT. Heat index values could reach 105 degrees tomorrow with actual highs in the mid-90s. Here are some safety tips on how to deal with hot weather from the Red Cross:

• Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
• Stay indoors as much as possible. If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor, out of the sunshine. Try to go to a public building with air conditioning each day for several hours. Remember, electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help sweat evaporate, which cools your body.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun's energy.
• Drink plenty of water regularly and often. Your body needs water to keep cool.
• Drink plenty of fluids even if you do not feel thirsty.
• Water is the safest liquid to drink during heat emergencies. Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them. They can make you feel good briefly, but make the heat's effects on your body worse. This is especially true about beer, which dehydrates the body.
• Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat.
• Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.

View more about what to do during heat waves from this Red Cross page.

Severe weather possible today

According to the NWS and SPC, there is a slight risk of severe weather today in NW Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and extreme NW Tennessee. This shouldn't be a huge outbreak as temperatures will have to be pretty high for storms to fire. The local NWS says that the main threat will be damaging winds. I don't think we will see any severe weather, but if we do, it will be extremely isolated.

Forum just for TN folk!

Yes, boys and girls, there is a forum out in cyberspace dedicated solely to Tennessee Weather! It is called TennesseeWeatherZone and would like more members, especially from our area. The Nashville area is definitely represented, but the Mid-South does not have many members. I am the site moderator at that site, so come on over and discuss local weather! The address is http://www.armleg.com/forum/index.php?mforum=tennesseeweathe (and, no, there is not an "r" at the end of the address). So come on, Western Tennesseans, represent!

Some WunderBlog entries now archived on MSW

The October and November entries from my old WunderBlog are now stored on this website. To view them, look in the archives under October and November 2005 and look for posts with "- WU" after it. These are the original posts, unedited from their previous state. The other months will be added soon.

Scattered thunderstorms to move through tonight

Right now, according to NWS radar, some very light showers are located across Lake and Obion Counties and slowly moving toward the southeast. Some additional showers will be moving into this area in the next few hours.

According to the Hazardous Weather Outlook issued by the NWS, some scattered thundershowers will push into the Mid-South late tonight and tomorrow. Here is what they said:

A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE MID-SOUTH FROM THE SOUTHWEST TONIGHT. MEANWHILE...AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND SPREAD INTO THE MID-SOUTH LATER TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW.

Additionally, some thundershowers will move throughout the Mid-South tomorrow. The main threat from these storms will be heavy rainfall. These showers should slowly exit the Mid-South Tuesday toward the northeast, so the northern half of the area will be seeing additional rainfall. Wednesday and beyond, summer weather returns to our area with heat index values possibly reaching near 105. Actual highs will be around 97.

New discussion board!

New! I have created a discussion board so that users of this blog may communicate with each other! The address is http://midsouthwx.invisionplus.net. I encourage you to visit it today and sign up (it's free!)

Parts of Mid-South under burn bans

Due to the recent dry conditions, Clay County, Mississippi is under a burn ban. This means that any outdoor burning is prohibited in this county. During this firework-shooting season, please respect the officials and DO NOT shoot anything. There are no other burn bans in effect at this time in the Mid-South.