477  
FXUS64 KMRX 090132  
AFDMRX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN  
932 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2025  
   
..NEW UPDATE  
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 924 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
THE SEVERE THREAT WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR  
SO, AND THE WATCH CLEARING HAS BEGUN. ISSUING A QUICK UPDATE TO  
REMOVE THE HEADLINE FROM A BIG PORTION MAINLY NORTH AND WEST, AND  
ALSO TO MAKE A FEW TWEAKS TO THE POPS AND WEATHER BASED ON LATEST  
TRENDS.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM  
 
(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY)  
ISSUED AT 217 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1. A FAIRLY RARE THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL (GOLFBALL SIZED OR PERHAPS  
SLIGHTLY BIGGER) EXISTS ACROSS EAST TN THIS EVENING. DAMAGING  
WINDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE BUT LARGE HAIL IS THE PRIMARY  
CONCERN.  
 
DISCUSSION:  
 
AN UPPER LOW OVER FAR WESTERN KENTUCKY WILL SHIFT EAST THROUGH THE  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS, SENDING A FRONT TOWARDS OUR CWA AND  
SPARKING OFF FAIRLY WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATER  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SUBSEQUENTLY THE PRIMARY CONCERN FOR  
THE SHORT TERM WILL BE THE CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS ACROSS THE  
FORECAST AREA LATER ON TODAY.  
 
THE ENVIRONMENT WILL DEFINITELY BE SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED  
CONVECTION, WITH EFFECTIVE SHEAR VALUES UPWARDS OF 35KT ACROSS  
MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SHEAR IS  
MOSTLY SPEED SHEAR HOWEVER AS HODOGRAPHS ARE RELATIVELY STRAIGHT  
DUE TO UNIDIRECTIONAL WINDS THROUGHOUT THE COLUMN BASICALLY,  
FAVORING SPLITTING CELLS. AS SUCH, I THINK THE TORNADO THREAT IS  
FAIRLY LOW, AND WOULD LIKELY DEPEND ON THERE BEING SOME SORT OF  
BOUNDARY INTERACTION WITH ANY RIGHT SPLITS THAT DEVELOP. THE MORE  
PRESSING CONCERN BY FAR IS GOING TO BE HAIL. FORECAST SOUNDINGS  
SHOW THERMAL PROFILES THAT WILL SUPPORT SOME LARGE HAIL, GOLFBALL  
SIZE OR LARGER, THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LAPSE RATES ARE  
RELATIVELY HIGH AT THE MOMENT AND ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN SO INTO  
THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING HOURS AS ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL  
SUPPORT MOVES IN. COUPLE THIS WITH 30-40 PERCENT HREF  
PROBABILITIES OF CAPE VALUES IN EXCESS OF 2,000 J/KG INTO THE  
6-8PM EDT TIMEFRAME (AND 70 PERCENT OR GREATER FOR +1,000 J/KG),  
ALONG WITH RELATIVELY LOW FREEZING LEVELS AND WET BULB ZERO  
HEIGHTS, AND I THINK THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE OF SEEING SOME LARGE  
HAIL IN EAST TN LATER TODAY. SPC MAINTAINED A 30% HATCHED AREA FOR  
LARGE HAIL IN THEIR UPDATED DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK AND I THINK  
THIS SEEMS REASONABLE. DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALSO A CONCERN, BUT  
SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY LESS A CONCERN THAN HAIL. DCAPE VALUES SHOULD  
STAY AROUND OR BELOW 700 J/KG, WHICH SUGGESTS THE POTENTIAL FOR  
SOME STRONG WINDS BUT NOTHING EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG. THAT SAID,  
SOME OF THESE STORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL WILL CERTAINLY BE TALL,  
SO WHEN THEY COLLAPSE STRONG WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE.  
 
CURRENT CAM GUIDANCE SAYS STORMS SHOULD CLEAR OUR AREA TO THE EAST  
AROUND MIDNIGHT, WITH ADDITIONAL RAINFALL POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT  
INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TOMORROW AS THE TRAILING FRONT MOVES  
THROUGH. THAT SHOULD PRIMARILY BE LIMITED TO THE MOUNTAINS I THINK  
AND POPS REFLECT THAT OVERNIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM  
 
(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT THURSDAY)  
ISSUED AT 217 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY, RAIN CHANCES WILL BE VERY LIMITED  
OUTSIDE OF THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AREA.  
 
2. BY EARLY NEXT WEEK, MORE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL IS LIKELY WITH  
STORMS POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.  
 
DISCUSSION:  
 
THROUGH THE WEEKEND...  
 
IN THE UPPER LEVELS, A CUT-OFF LOW WILL BE OVER PENNSYLVANIA FRIDAY  
NIGHT MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST BY SATURDAY MORNING. AT THE SURFACE,  
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE MIDWEST WILL DRIFT OVER THE GREAT LAKES BY  
SUNDAY. A DISTURBANCE OVER THE GULF COAST IS CAUSED BY A CUT-OFF LOW  
THAT IS NEARLY STATIONARY NEAR LA. MOST OF THAT ACTIVITY WILL STAY  
TO OUR SOUTH THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, SHOWERS WILL BE ISOLATED. POPS FOR THIS  
WEEKEND HAVE COME DOWN COMPARED TO PREVIOUS NBM RUNS. THE EXTREME  
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE REGION WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR A SHOWER  
OR SPRINKLE SINCE IT IS CLOSER TO THE GULF DISTURBANCE BUT EVEN  
THERE ONLY A 20% TO 25% CHANCE THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...  
 
THE CUT-OFF LOW OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SLOWLY STARTS TO  
MOVE NORTHEAST ON MONDAY. THE TROUGH WILL BE MUCH CLOSER TO THE  
REGION BY TUESDAY ALTHOUGH EXACT LOCATION DOES NOT HAVE GOOD MODEL  
AGREEMENT. WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ATLANTIC, LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL  
BE SOUTHERLY. DEEP LAYER MOISTURE ADVECTION IS LIKELY WITH THE  
TROUGH PULLING IN GULF MOISTURE AT HIGHER LEVELS ALSO. THEREFORE,  
WIDESPREAD RAIN IS EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE BEST CHANCE  
FOR STORMS WILL BE TUESDAY AS INSTABILITY INCREASES WITH DEW POINTS  
GETTING BACK INTO THE 60S. WITH PWAT VALUES EXPECTED TO BE AROUND  
1.3 INCHES EARLY NEXT WEEK (NEAR THE 90TH PERCENTILE FOR  
CLIMATOLOGY), WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON FLOODING POTENTIAL.  
 
TEMPS WILL BE NEAR NORMAL OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE  
70S AND LOWS MAINLY IN THE 50S THROUGH TUESDAY. A WARMING TREND  
STARTS BY WEDNESDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
(00Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 634 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AROUND EARLY, AND A FEW WILL BE STRONG  
WITH HAIL AND/OR STRONG GUSTY WINDS. WILL TRY TO TIME THE BEST  
CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS AT EACH SITE WITH TEMPO GROUPS THAT  
INCLUDE MVFR CONDITIONS, BUT OF COURSE A DIRECT HIT FROM A  
THUNDERSTORM MAY BRIEFLY BRING CONDITIONS LOWER. LATER TONIGHT  
THERE CONTINUES TO BE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT HOW MUCH FOG/LOW CLOUD  
DEVELOPMENT WILL OCCUR, AND WILL INCLUDE MVFR CONDITIONS ALL SITES  
FOR SEVERAL HOURS LATE TONIGHT/EARLY FRIDAY ALL SITES. WILL SEE  
IMPROVEMENT BACK TO ALL VFR LATER IN THE PERIOD.  
 
 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS  
 
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 58 77 52 72 / 40 20 10 20  
KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 57 73 48 72 / 70 20 0 10  
OAK RIDGE, TN 56 74 48 72 / 70 10 0 10  
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 56 70 42 71 / 70 40 0 10  
 
 
   
MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NC...NONE.  
TN...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...  
LONG TERM....MCD  
AVIATION...  
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