Tennessee Valley at slight risk for severe storms

There may be another break in the shower action between 1 PM to 5 PM, then more scattered showers and storms are expected this evening. You can see First Alert VIPIR 9, detailed forecasts, weather maps, and severe weather alerts.

The Storm Prediction Center continues to place the majority of our viewing area under a slight risk of severe weather through Saturday morning. As the best instability and shear don’t line up, the tornado threat should remain fairly low. These storms will carry the risk for large hail, damaging winds, and may be able to spin up a couple tornadoes.

Temperatures will reach the upper 50s in far northwest counties, warming to the upper 60s and possibly low 70s far south and in northwest in before falling later in the afternoon, especially along the lakeshore.

The cold front also is predicted to drop Saturday night’s lows to just below 50 with highs about 70.

The closer the time of occurrence coincides with the peak-heating of the day, the more intense the thunderstorm activity will become.

“The biggest threat with these storms will be hail”, Kotenberg says. This is when the cold front will actually pass through the area. Timing and intensity will vary, but over time the rain amounts could potentially be heavy, with the area under a flash flood watch through Friday.

As the event continues into the overnight on Thursday, storms will continue to track east into the Ohio Valley, Tennessee, and Alabama.