SATURDAY WEATHER: ☀️ Our excessive heat will continue one more day before a more typical summer pattern returns. We’ll top out around 93 degrees today, with a heat index that again exceeds 100 degrees. As a result, the Heat Advisory remains in effect for another day. There’s a 40% chance of thunderstorms this evening, but they may not threaten the region until late in the day. Current guidance (subject to change) suggests the best time for scattered storms will be around 7 p.m. to midnight. That would put a damper on things in Huntsville if they develop, but that’s a pretty big “if.” These storms will be very much hit-or-miss, as is often the case in the summer.
The Heat Advisory will expire at 9 p.m. tonight. Thunderstorms will become likely tomorrow, with a high around 90 degrees.
NEXT WEEK: All indications are that next week will be wetter. There’s at least a 50/50 chance of rain and thunderstorms each day, with higher chances on Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures will settle back into the mid 80s at day and the upper 60s at night. The storms will be fairly random in their placement each day, but there’s potential for everyone in Tennessee to see at least a couple of inches of rain over the course of the next week.
FURTHER OUT: This same pattern will persist through the first half of July. The second half of July may be slightly “cooler” and drier.
RIVER CONDITIONS: Streamflows remain above-normal for this time of year. The Big South Fork River is flowing about 550 cubic feet per second (cfs) at Leatherwood Ford, which is close to twice as much as normal in early July. Clear Fork is flowing about 110 cfs — also about twice as much as normal in early July. Water clarity is good and improving. Water temperatures have surged into the mid 80s during the peak of afternoon heating. Conditions are pretty good for swimming this weekend if we don’t see heavy thunderstorm activity in the headwater areas!
