2013 Rainfall and Expected Weekend Forecast

We continue to analyze the rainfall totals here in Cookeville. I've seen an interesting trend develop. You'll notice it yourself as I point out our total rainfall.

WEEKEND FORECAST:
First, lets discuss the latest forecast for the weekend. We're currently under a Special Weather Statement through at least Saturday night. We expect rain to develop once again as a frontal boundary sinks closer to our area. Some estimates put 1-2" of rainfall across much of middle TN. With the grounds saturated from Nashville to Cookeville along I-40 from rainfall on Thursday, it won't take much for areas to become flooded once again. Be exceptionally careful if caught in a heavy downpour.

FLOOD SAFETY RULES

Thunderstorms are likely for Saturday with a high of 87°. It'll be very muggy from tonight through Saturday. Dewpoints are running in the mid to upper 70's. We'll keep thunderstorm chances in the forecast through the middle of next week. Sunday's high is expected to be in the mid 80's.

A QUESTION ABOUT RAINFALL:

Let's look at our latest rainfall amounts.
I was prompted to do this from an e-mail I received yesterday.

The record year for precipitation in Cookeville was 76.46" back in 1998. 

43.34" has been measured as of July 30th. 

At this pace, we're on track to receive just over 74" for 2013.  

Last year our total was 54.90" which is just .78" from our average annual rainfall of 55.68"

70" of rain has only occurred SIX (6) times in 117 years including, 

2011 - 72.07" and 2009 - 76.04"

Interestingly enough, 2005-2008 saw four of our driest years with 41.30", 45.32", 36.75", 48.06". 

AUGUST RAINFALL:

4.18" through this morning with 3.69 of it coming yesterday. Average August rainfall is 3.83". 

MAP AND PICTURES FROM AUG 8, 2013 FLOODING

As of today, this gives us 47.52" through 221 days. 

If we extend that out over 365 days, it would give us 78.48"

BUT....in a typical year, August, September, and October are usually our 3 driest months. 

Lastly, we'll probably see an additional 1-2" of rain over the 2 days. 

*Latest Local Forecast*

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Thunderstorms Likely - Sharknado - Baseball's All-Star Game

All sorts of interesting weather information today. We'll get into why the popular TV movie Sharknado is made-up science fiction and look at the deadly heatwave from 1995 that claimed nearly 600 lives in Chicago. First, our Sunday forecast for Cookeville, TN.

SUNDAY FORECAST:
Showers and thunderstorms are a possibility after noon today with partly sunny skies and a high of around 83°. We hit 87° on Saturday before thunderstorms and heavy hits parts of our area. My weather station recorded .81" bringing our monthly total to 7.52". Typical July rainfall is under 5".

We'll have a slight chance for rainfall all next week with temperatures heating up into the upper 80's to lower 90's ranges. Expect heat index ("feels like") readings to top 100°.

FROM THE WEATHER CHANNEL:

WeatherWhys^®

The Midwest was in the midst of an intense and deadly heat wave on this date in 1995. The heat wave claimed nearly 600 lives in Chicago, where temperatures soared to 104 degrees on the 13th. High dew points made the air feel dangerously hotter.

WEATHER NEWS (various sources):
Wolf Point, Montana sets a record low of 46°
Vicksburg, Mississippi seta a low of 63°
6 year-old child swallowed by sinkhole 
Hot and humid weather for baseball's All-Star game
Popular TV movie Sharknado Debunked: Ridiculous Plotpoints Exposed

*Latest Local Forecast*

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FLASHBACK: One Year Ago Today - Cookeville Hits 106°

Going into June 29 of last year, we knew it was going to be a very hot day. A dry air mass with stifling daytime heat had set-up over the area. The interesting thing is that the morning low was around 65° at 5 am. Just 12 hours later, the mercury would climb more than 40° topping out at 106° measured by my Northeast Cookeville weather station. The official high was 105° tying the all-time record set back in 1930.

*LIST OF RECORDS SET IN MIDDLE TN*

*June 29 By The Numbers - Heatwave Records*

The map of highs from June 29

One year later, we expect highs only in the lower 80's today with upper 70's on Sunday. Quite a chance from 1 year ago today, don't you think?

*Latest Local Forecast*

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This Time Last Year

Does anyone remember late June last year?
If not, let me remind you.

June was a fairly hot month up to June 27 with 10 days that hit 90° plus including 8 straight days from the 18th through the 25th. We dipped down to 84° on the 26th but rebounded to 93° on the 27th.

From June 28th on the high temps were as follows:
102° on June 28
106° on June 29
105° on June 30
104° on July 1

We would snap the 100° plus streak on July 2, 3, and 4th with highs 'only' reaching 97°, 98°, and 98° respectively but then hit 100° for three straight days and 101° on July 8.

Strangely enough, July 10 was just 79° while July 12 was just 74° for high temps.

During that hot streak, we managed to be at 97° or above for 9 straight days.

I do not believe we'll see those kind of temps over the next 10 day period, but rest assured we have some hot weather still to come this summer.

*Latest Local Forecast*

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Cold Night Once Again

It's going to cold again Thursday night with morning lows on Friday in the upper 20's. We're already down to 39° early this evening (7:25 pm). Skies will remain mostly clear. Friday's forecast is for mostly sunny skies and a warmer high of 57° (we hit just 54.9°) on Thursday.

The lows this week have been:
Monday 29.8°
Tuesday 25.8°
Wednesday 29.4°
Thursday 26.5°

The highs this week have been:
Monday 64.4° (at 12:38 am)
Tuesday 47.1°
Wednesday 50.6°
Thursday 54.9°

I do expect we'll finally hit 60° by this weekend and we'll rise a few degrees into the 30's for overnight lows. Our next rain chances arrive on Tuesday with a very slight chance of a shower but then we'll clear up all the way through Thanksgiving with very seasonal highs and lows (60's and 40's).

We've talked a couple of times this week about the fact that it's Winter Weather Awareness Week across Tennessee. If you want more information, check out this special National Weather Service webpage.

New Year's Day Snowstorm of 1964
(from The Pulaski (TN) Citizen)

New Year's Eve Snowstorm of 1963

*Latest Local Forecast*

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Much Cooler Rest Of Week

We change from summer-like conditions to more typical springtime weather through the 7-day forecast. Expect temperatures to moderate down into the 70's today with an early isolated shower or thunderstorm.

After frontal passage this afternoon, we'll revert to a chilly pattern over the next 48 hours with highs struggling to make the 70's and lows in the 40's. Other than today, there is no chance of rain for at least the next 5 days.

We received 3/4" of an inch (.76") of rain on Monday evening. This gives us a total of 1.16" for May.

This morning's temperature is 65° to start (at 6:50 am). It will be the warmest morning we'll have in the forecast period.

MAY 8 WEATHER HISTORY:

On this day in ..

1784 - Town of Winnsborough SC was hit by a devastating hailstorm. Hailstones up to 9 inches in diameter killed several persons. 1803 - Heavy snow from Indiana to New England from a freak snowstorm. 1902 - Mt. Pelee erupted in the West Indies. Around 40,000 people perished. Considered to be the greatest volcanic eruption of all time. 1979 - Rough morning in Tampa FL. 8 tornadoes kill 17 people. 7.84 inches of rain fall between 8am and 2pm. A total of 12.73 inches of rain fall on the 8th and 9th. 1981 - Worst hailstorm of record in Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Grapefruit size hail and 100 mph winds struck the area causing $200 million in damage. Hail piled up to a depth of 8 inches. 1988 - Mother's Day tornado outbreak of 57 tornadoes across the Mississippi Valley. 22 twisters in Iowa was a record. The tornadoes were accompanied by over 200 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Terre Bonne MO reported baseball-sized hail. 80-mph winds at Rockford IL trapped a person in a portable toilet. Fortunately, no deaths were reported with the outbreak. 1989 - 28 at Asheville NC, just one of 21 record lows across the eastern U.S. 1994 - Major flash flooding strikes Louisiana and Mississippi between the 8th and 10th. $3.5 billion in damage.

*Latest Local Forecast*

And finally, the latest weather news from the Weather.com News Center.

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Cloudy, Cold Wednesday

We've seen a few sprinkles early this morning across sections of middle Tennessee. It is possible that some areas to our north saw some flurries mix in with the light shower activity. I expect this shower activity to end by noon and we'll see a high in the middle 40's this afternoon under a cloudy sky. Partly cloudy and cold tonight, low of 29°.

THURSDAY - SUNDAY OUTLOOK:
Expect a decent day on Thursday with plenty of sunshine but cool temperatures. A high of 46° and a calm wind. Cold again on Thursday night, low 30°. Friday's weather will be warmer with a high of 52° but I do expect showers to be on the increase in the afternoon. Friday night, rain showers likely with snow mixing in and the precipitation changing to all snow flurries overnight with a low of 29°. VERY COLD Saturday with a high of 37° under a sunny sky and a low by Sunday morning of 17°. Sunny on Sunday, high of just 35°.

*Latest Local Forecast*


DID YOU KNOW:

• Most of us know it is warm this winter, but did you know we're still not close to the warmest February on record? That distinction belongs to 1986 when we averaged nearly 63° during February. Right now, our average high is 57.4°. That's 9° above normal and nearly 12° higher than last winter. 
• Today's record high is 75° from 1937
• Today's record low is 1° from 1984

From the Weather Notebook:

On this day in ..

1835 - Deep freeze in the deep south. Mercury plunged to zero at Savannah and 8 degrees at Jacksonville FL. Severe damage to the citrus industry with orange trees killed to the roots. 1933 - Texas records its coldest temperature ever (-23F) at Seminole. 1936 - Denver CO records a record cold 36 degrees below zero. 1956 - Vega TX picks up an incredible 61 inches of snow from one storm (Feb 1-8) which still stands as the state record for snowfall from a single storm. 1985 - Blue Canyon CA sets a 24-hour February snowfall record with 42 inches (Feb 7-8). Blue Canyon is the snowiest place in the lower 48 states with an average of 241 inches of snow. 1987 - Severe winter storm strikes Chicago with mountainous waves along the waterfront. Seven million dollars in damage, the most ever caused by shoreline flooding and erosion in the city's history. Waves reached 12-18 feet high and the water level in Lake Michigan was raised two feet. 1989 - Mammoth traffic jams in Los Angeles area as a freak snow struck California. Snow was reported from the beaches of Malibu to the desert around Palm Springs

Nice, Sunny Saturday

A very nice and seasonal Saturday with plenty of sunshine and a high in the upper 40's. Typically this time of year, we see highs of 47° and lows of 26°. Tonight's low will be right around 26° but sunrise on Sunday morning. I expect we'll be a few degrees warmer on Sunday with a good chance of creeping up into the lower 50's after a cold start. Add another 5-7° for Monday and Tuesday with sunny skies and things are looking up! Rain is expected back on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

COMPARED TO LAST YEAR:
Does this winter seem a lot different than last year? Well, if you answered with a resounding 'YES', then you are correct. Through today, our average high January has been 51.7° while last winter it was just 40.5°. We saw 6.7" during January 2011 while this year we've seen but a trace! The record warm January dates back to 1937 when we averaged 59.6°. JANUARY HISTORY LINK from MY WEATHER STATION LIVE

BITTER COLD IN ALASKA:
Seeing some incredibly cold temperatures coming out of Alaska. A report this morning around 8:30 am showed a temp of -51.7°.

BLOG COMMENTS:
Thank you to so many of you who've either commented on weather posts here, my Facebook page, or to me in person. Your kindness doesn't go unnoticed and I appreciate each one of them!

*Latest Local Forecast*

Last Day of Heatwave

HOT AGAIN
Temperatures are rising quickly this morning across Middle Tennessee. Already, here in Cookeville, at 7:05 am it is 78°. We expect highs to reach into the lower 90's once again. Today, however, we may see some isolated thunderstorms develop across our area with the best chances being later this afternoon. After today, skies become more clear and temperatures will tweak down a bit with highs mainly in the lower to middle 80's all the way through the first of next week.

*Latest Local Forecast*

HURRICANE IRENE UPDATE
At 7 am, Irene is packing winds of 115 mph and is marching to the northwest at 13 mph. She is located, at this hour, 65 miles ENE Nassau, Bahamas and 670 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Irene is a large tropical cyclone with hurricane force winds extending outward up to 70 miles from the center with tropical storm force winds extending outward some 255 miles. The Bahamas have seen winds gust to 100 mph. The Bahamas will see rainfall between 6 and 12 inches over next 36 hours. Next advisory is due out at 10 am central time.

*National Hurricane Center webpage*

WEATHER HISTORY
On this date in 1999, Livingston (Overton County) Tennessee records it's greatest one-day total of rainfall with 5.80"

Hot Weather Returns

MORE SUMMER HEAT
We'll return to the 90's across the Upper Cumberland today. We'll call it 91° here in Cookeville under a mostly sunny sky. We're already in the lower 70's at 7:00 am (72.7°) and temps will rise quickly. Yesterday's high was 92.4°.

*Latest Irene updates from National Hurricane Center*

*Latest news updates on Hurricane Irene*

TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY
A 30% chance for storms tonight, low 70° by dawn on Thursday. Storms stay in the forecast for Thursday with a high of 90° and a low of 66° on Friday morning. Sunshine returns on Friday, high 87° with a more of a comfortable north-northwest flow.

*We hit 104° on this date back in 2007*

YOUR WEEKEND FORECAST
A sneak peak into the weekend reveals we will probably see a cooler temps and dry conditions with highs around the mid 80's Saturday and low 80's on Sunday!

*Latest Local Forecast*

REMEMBERING HURRICANE ANDREW
Today is the 19th anniversary of one of the most destructive hurricanes to strike south Florida. Hurricane Andrew made landfall near Elliott Key with winds of 165 mph. It was just the 3rd Category 5 hurricane to strike the United States (at the time). Our friends over at "The Original Weather Blog" have much more on the anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.

Cookeville's Daily Almanac

Our morning low: 66.7°

Yesterday's high: 92.4°

Yesterday's low: 58.0°

Last Year: 85° and 62°

Normal High: 87°

Normal Low: 63°

Records: 104° in 2007 and 50° in 1997

Severe Storms A Possibility

HEATING UP AGAIN:
The latest information shows that we may be seeing some possible severe storms by this afternoon in middle Tennessee. Be on the lookout for damaging winds, large hail, and frequent lightning. Today's high is expected to be in the lower 80's. We turn back sunny on Thursday, high 86° and storms return for Friday and temperatures begin to warm back in the 90's for the weekend.

*Latest Local Forecast*

SUN GOING INTO HIBERNATION:
There are reports by scientists that show the sun may be headed into a period of little or no sunspot activity. You may think 'so what'? ...Much cooler, such as longer winters, cooler spring and autumn and a very short summer, weather would be the result from the zero sunspot activity. So much for man controlling the earth's warming. Much more on this by National Geographic.

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
June 15th, 2011 - Wednesday
Our morning low: 62.0°
Yesterday's high: 79.0° (first day since May 27 not in 80's or 90's)
Yesterday's low: 58.8° (first day since May 28th in the 50's)
24-hour precip total: 0.00

Last Year: 94.4° and 71.9°

Normal High: 84°
Normal Low: 61°

Records: 95° in 1921 and 45° in 1933

3.37" of rain fell on this date in 1969

WEATHER HISTORY FOR JUNE 15th
Middle Tennessee:

On June 15, 1914...
Wind gust of 65 mph is recorded at Nashville.
On June 15, 1952...
The temperature at Nashville climbs to 100 degrees -- the earliest date ever for a 100 degree reading.



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Storm Chances Increasing

June 14th is Flag Day...more on that in a bit

Monday was a gorgeous day across middle Tennessee and we expect much of the same today, but with a catch. Storms will make their presence known for areas around Nashville and westward. We could see a few storms over here on the Highland Rim as well. The rest of the week will see storms on the increase. This morning's low was 58.7°..the first time in the 50's since back on May 28th.

FLAG DAY:
June 14th is flag day across America. This day commemorates the adoption of the stars and stripes! Much more on Flag Day here.  National Flag Foundation's website is full of great information, too.

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
Our morning low: 58.7°
Yesterday's high: 83.5°
Yesterday's low: 64.3°
24-hour precip total: 0.00

Last Year: 92° and 69°

Normal High: 84°
Normal Low: 61°

Records: 94° in 1977 and 45° in 1933

2.53" of rain fell on this date in 1952

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Normal Temperatures Finally Return

MUCH, MUCH NICER:
We'll see mostly normal temperatures over the next few days with an increasing chance for storms on Tuesday through Sunday. Some of these storms will produce lightning, which is quite dangerous. Lightning Safety Week is June 19-25th. More on that in a moment.

FACTS ABOUT RECENT HEAT:

• With today's high of 83° expected, we break the long heatwave for June. 
• The last time we were under 85° in the afternoon was on May 27th. 
• May 27th was also the last time we saw lows in the 50's
• Since May 27th, we have been in the 90's everyday except 4 days, when the highs were 86°, 87°, 89°, and 89°. 
• The heatwave and rain haven't mixed too well as we have received just .87"
• Highs have averaged 90.8° through 12 days in June, making this month the hottest June since records have been kept in Cookeville, TN (late 1890's). 

LIGHTNING SAFETY WEEK:

As I mentioned above, Lightning Safety Week is coming up June 19-25, 2011. More information about the upcoming special week can be found by going to the National Weather Service's Lightning Safety website. 

FUN FACT OF THE DAY:

Rainiest spot in America on Saturday was Ocean City, MD with a measurement of 4.40". All of that occurred in a 3 hour period on Saturday afternoon. 

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
June 13, 2011 - Monday 
Our morning low: 65.2°
Yesterday's high: 87.0°
Yesterday's low: 67.7°

Last Year: 91° and 70°

Normal High: 84°

Normal Low: 60°

Records: 95° in 1943 and 45° in 1995

24-hour precip total: 0.02" (.87" for June thus far)
1.91" of rain fell on this date in 1989

MIDDLE TN WEATHER HISTORY:
On this date, June 13, 1953, the winds gusted to 61 mph at Nashville.

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Some Cooler Weather Ahead

FINALLY SOME RAIN:
Overnight rains around midnight left nearly 1/2" (.48") at my weather station. I'll have some rain facts coming up in this post below. Along with the rain, we saw some moderate lightning and strong wind gusts. The rain and winds were part of a weak frontal boundary from the northwest. This should tweak our afternoon highs down about 5-7° from the very uncomfortable mid 90's to the somewhat uncomfortable upper 80's!

INTERESTING COOKEVILLE WEATHER HISTORY:
On this date back in 1968, golf ball-sized hail in reported in our county.

THIS WEEK'S OUTLOOK:
Expect a nice, yet slight change for this week's weather, including a few cooler nights and the possibility of more rainfall by mid-week. Some of this upcoming rainfall may included some strong storms. We'll monitor that closely. Temperatures will fall back out the 90's on Monday and last for most of the forecast period. As we've discussed, June has been hot and dry.


RAIN FACTS:

• It was 5 days ago since our last rainfall of just .37"
• Before that, we had a 10 day run of no rainfall
• June's total rainfall is just .88" (on the Davis) and .85" in the manual gauge. 
• May's total rainfall was 4.52"

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
June 12, 2011 - Sunday
Our morning low: 67.7°
Yesterday's high: 91.3° (9 of 11 days in June 90+)
Yesterday's low: 65.2°

Last Year: 92.4° and 75.8°

Normal High: 84°

Normal Low: 60°

Records: 96° in 1944 and 46° in 1988

24-hour precip total: .48"
2.50" of rain fell on this date in 1962

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Some Relief Ahead

It appears this powerful heatwave is about to break. More on that in a moment. Also, today in weather history is when Ben Franklin did the experiment with the kite, key, and lightning.

MUCH MORE ON THE HEAT:

• Yesterday's high hit 93°..just short of the record of 94° 
• Heat index topped 100° (102°) for the 6th day out of the last nine and for the third consecutive day. 
• Six more high temp records were tied or set yesterday including down in White County at the Sparta water plant where they hit 95°..the old record was 93° from 2008. 
• 154 heat-related temp records have been set or tied in the past 9 days across Tennessee. 
• Finally, our average high temperature for June through the first 9 days is 90.8°, which is the hottest since records have been kept in Cookeville going back to the late 1800's. 

HEATWAVE WRAPPING UP BY SUNDAY?:
We will see a chance for isolated thunderstorms over the next few days. Expect highs in the 90's today and Saturday, but we'll back off into the 80's Sunday through Thursday of next week with night time lows in the middle to lower 60's. Not all of us will see rain, but those who do will see their temperatures back off by more than 10°....

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
June 10th, 2011
Our morning low: 64.6°
Yesterday's high: 93.0°
Yesterday's low: 67.9°

Last Year: 82° and 66°

Normal High: 83°

Normal Low: 60°

Records: 93° in 1999 and 42° in 1988

24-hour precip total: 0.00
Just .40" of rain for June
1.85" of rain fell on this date in 1998

MIDDLE TN WEATHER HISTORY

On June 10, 1998...
A hailstorm at Smithville produces golfball-size hail. Seventy cars and 17 homes are damaged. Wind driven hailstones cause holes in the siding of homes. Damage is estimated at $750,000.
On June 10, 1999...
Lightning strikes a substation on Eddy Lane in Franklin. The lightning damages a breaker, insulators, and lightning arrestors. Eight thousand customers are without power.


UNITED STATES WEATHER HISTORY
June 10th

1752 - This is believed to be the date that Ben Franklin did his famous kite experiment during a thunderstorm to determine if lightning and electricity were related. Luckily, he lived to tell of the results.

1957 - A dust devil at North Yarmouth MA lifted a 1000 pound chicken house into the air and carried it 25 feet, depositing it on the ground with only slight damage.

1958 - Stormy weather in El Dorado KS. A woman was sucked through the window of her house and blown sixty feet. She landed beside a broken phonograph record, entitled appropriately: "Stormy Weather."

1988 - Williston ND recorded their seventh record high temperature in eight days with a sizzling 105 degrees.

1995 - The temperature at Yakutat AK soared to 87 degrees for its hottest temperature ever.

1997 - Many cars were afloat in the southern suburbs of Miami, Florida, early this morning with people trapped in them. The intersection of SW 87th St. and Kendall Drive had 2 feet of water covering it. Water was waist deep in some spots. Rainfall amounts included: Tamiami Airport, Florida 6.99 inches and 9.83 inches at Homestead, Florida

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Heat Continues

NICE:
We're waking to the coolest morning in a week. This morning's temps bottomed out at 60.7° here in Cookeville. Yesterday was the first day in a week that we didn't hit 90° (our high was 89°). We've now gone 8 days without any rainfall. The heat, however, is returning and will be robust for the next week. Below are some alerts and advisories here in Tennessee.

AIR QUALITY ALERT:
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has issued an AIR QUALITY ALERT for each of the major metro areas across the state. This is a 'Code Orange' Health Advisory. The general public is likely to not be affected, but active children and adults along with people with respiratory problems shuch as asthma should limit their outdoor exposure and limit exertion.

HEAT ADVISORY:
All of west Tennessee is under a heat advisory for Saturday where heat index readings will range from 105° to 109°. These conditions are expected to persist through 10 pm Saturday night. Prolonged exposure without taking the proper precautions in this kind of heat is dangerous. Frequent rest breaks in shade or an air-conditioned environment are recommended.

HEAT CONTINUES:
Temperatures will remain hot throughout the next 7-10 days with highs mainly in the 90's and lows mainly in the middle to upper 60's. Any chances for rain will be slight and very much isolated as a strong ridge of high pressure is firmly in charge across the southeastern United States.

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
June 4, 2011
Saturday morning's low: 60.7°
Friday's high: 88.9°
Friday's low: 64.9°

Last Year: 86° and 67°

Normal High: 82°

Normal Low: 58°

Records: 97° in 1925 and 40° in 1924

24-hour precip total: 0.00
2.42" of rain fell on this date in 1983

TENNESSEE WEATHER HISTORY:

On June 4, 1985...
Softball-sized hail is reported in Davidson County. This is the largest known hail ever to fall in Tennessee's history.

On June 4, 1998...
Lightning strikes the 108-year-old St. Patrick Catholic Church on Second Avenue South in Nashville. The resulting fire significantly damages the roof and steeple.

On June 4, 2002...
Storms sweep through East Tennessee producing quarter-sized hail and $200,000 in property damage. 


WEATHER HISTORY ACROSS AMERICA:

1825 - East Coast - Early season hurricane from Cuba to New England. Great shipping losses on the coast. Much damage at Charleston on the 3rd and New York Harbor on the 4th.

1885 - Pittsburgh, PA & Cleveland, OH - Heavy rains (about 10 inches) caused serious floods.

1982 - Major 4 day storm in New England brings 14 inches of rainfall to southern Connecticut. 23 dams were breached and 2 failed. $276 million in damage resulted from the flooding.

1985 - Southeast - The heat wave continues. Lakeland, FL sets an all-time record high of 102 degrees.

1998 - The temperature at Williston ND dropped to 26 degrees to establish a monthly record for June. The mercury dropped to 24 in Tower MN as winter made one last curtain call across the northern Plains. 2-3 inches of snow fell in South Dakota and 7 inches fell in Wyoming.

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Heatwave Continuing

Before we discuss the ongoing heat, Joplin, MO officials say all the unaccounted for people have been located and the death toll has settled at 134 people. Officials do caution the toll could go a bit higher due to some tornado victims injuries being quite serious and several could die due to those injuries.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE HEAT:
Not only have we been hot (with records set in some cases), we've been quite dry. It was seven days ago today when we recorded just .46" of rainfall. There is a very slight chance for a thundershower today. Today marks day #5 in which we'll climb over 90°.

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
This morning's low: 67.4°
Wednesday's high: 90.6°
Wednesday's low: 66.9°

Last Year: 90° and 63°

Normal High: 81°

Normal Low: 57°

Records: 93° in 1942 and 43° in 1966

24-hour precip total: 0.00 (7 days in a row)

1.98" of rain fell on this date in 1954

TENNESSEE WEATHER HISTORY:

June 2, 1998 - Softball-sized hail is reported at Allons (Overton County). This is the largest known hail ever to fall in Tennessee's history. In a separate incident, lightning strikes a home on Temple Ridge Drive and starts a fire on the roof. The fire then spreads to the attic and walls of the house.


US WEATHER HISTORY
June 2nd

1889 - Major flooding on the Potomac in Washington. A span of the Long Bridge was washed away. Streets near the river flooded. The crest was not equaled again until 1936.

1917 - Tribune KS drops to 30 degrees to establish the state record low temperature for June.

1949 - Tornado describes a circle one mile in radius around the town of Alfalfa OK.

1989 - 120 mph wind gusts at Fitchburg MA produce $5 million in damage.

1990 - Tornado outbreak in Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. It was the largest tornado outbreak since the superoutbreak in 1974. 66 tornadoes observed. 7 of the tornadoes were rated F4 on the Fujita scale. Indiana had 37 of the twisters with 8 fatalities.

1994 - A tsunami struck East Java with a maximum wave height of 14 meters. 238 people were killed. More than 4000 people lost their lives due to tsunamis worldwide in the 1990s.

1998 - The strongest tornado in modern Maryland history skipped for 15 miles through the mountainous countryside near Frostburg, destroying at least 30 buildings and damaging 100 others. The F4 storm narrowly missed the city's downtown business district about 945 pm. No deaths or serious injuries were reported in Frostburg, due to ample warnings on television and radio and through emergency sirens. Two people were killed by a tornado in rural northeastern Pennsylvania.

1970 - 5.01 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Buffalo NY to establish an all-time record for the location.

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Your Memorial Day Weekend Forecast

Cool temperatures are the rule as our holiday weekend gets underway. The great news is the cool, cloudy weather will not last! Look for a chance of drizzle this morning with skies gradually becoming sunny later this afternoon with a high of 74° in Cookeville. Tonight, partly cloudy and cool, low 55°.

For Saturday, warmer and sunny, high 85°...clear Saturday night, low 65°. On Sunday, sunny once again and even warmer with a high of 89°. For Memorial Day, expect highs of 89° under a sunny sky!

*Latest Local Forecast*

Link of the day:     HISTORIC TORNADO OUTBREAK ACROSS EAST TN AND SW VIRGINIA - 4/27/2011


Cookeville's Daily Almanac
This morning's low: 59.1°
Yesterday's high: 79.5°
Yesterday's low: 61.2°
24-hour precip total: 0.00

Last Year: 86.1° and 59.6°

Normal High: 80°
Normal Low: 55°

Records: 93° in 1916 and 34° in 1961

2.50" of rain fell on this date in 1989

TODAY IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE WEATHER HISTORY
May 27th


On May 27, 1973...
Crossville measures 6.29" of rainfall -- its greatest one-day rainfall ever.
On May 27, 1991...
Cheatham Lock & Dam measures its greatest one-day rainfall, with 5.85".
On May 27, 2000...
F3 tornado hits Houston County, moving through Tennessee Ridge and Erin. Damages are estimated at $1.3 million. Roofs and walls of some well constructed homes are torn off. Many trees are snapped and blown down along with power lines. The Betty Ligon Pavillion in Erin is flattened. Fifty people require shelter at Erin. A storage trailer is moved 50 feet at Tennessee Ridge. Fortunately, there are no injuries or fatalities.


WEATHER HISTORY AROUND AMERICA
May 27th 

1896 - The Great St. Louis Tornado occurred on this date. 137 people died in St. Louis and another 118 in East St. Louis, Illinois. It was the third most deadly tornado in U.S. history. 18 total tornadoes occurred this day, killing a total of 306 people. Even though the tornado's path was short, it cut across a heavily populated area. The storm was as wide as one mile reportedly when it crossed into East St. Louis MO. The storm was accompanied by incredible lightning.

1931 - The Empire Builder passenger train was struck by an F3 tornado near Moorhead MN. 5 coaches were derailed and one was blown 80 feet. 57 passengers were injured and one killed.

1917 - 67 killed, 345 injured in a tornado that tracked across parts of Tennessee and Kentucky.

1973 - Large F4 tornado cut a 135-mile path across central Alabama. Hardest hit was the town of Brent, AL where 5 people perished and 90 percent of the town was demolished. 7 people died along the path of the twister. Cancelled checks from Greensboro AL were found at Gadsden AL, over 100 miles away. Another killer tornado struck Centerpoint on the northeast side of Birmingham, killing one man.

1990 - High winds injured 27 at an outdoor concert in Baton Rouge, LA as severe thunderstorms raked Louisiana. Winds of up to 78 mph swept the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway in New Orleans.

1992 - San Antonio TX had already received its normal annual rainfall by this date in 1992. 29.28 inches had fallen since January, surpassing the average of 29.13 inches.

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This Is More Like It

Thursday's high temperatures across middle Tennessee were some 20° warmer than the last four days. Here in Cookeville, TN it was 75°. We expect Friday's high temperature to be around 82° and most of us will certainly say 'this is more like it'. Most of the area is starting today in the 60's.

Your weekend forecast calls for a slight chance for storms on Saturday with a high of 85° expected and the same for Sunday with a high of 84°. Looking ahead to the first of next week, expect highs in the middle 80's with slight chances for storms.

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac 
May 20, 2011
Our Friday morning low: 59.4°
Thursday's high: 75.1°
Thursday's low: 51.4°

Normal High: 78°

Normal Low: 53°

Last Year: 82° and 53°

Records: 93° in 1962 and 39° in 2002

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24-hour precip total: 0.00

1.11" of rain fell on this date in 1942
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ON THIS DATE IN TENNESSEE WEATHER HISTORY:
1990-An F1 tornado cuts a 2-mile path near Summertown (Lawrence County). No injuries are reported.
2008-Storms hit in 2008 with several reports of large hail including baseball-sized in Monroe County


AMERICAN WEATHER HISTORY 
MAY 20th: (thanks to Bill Murray at Weather Notebook)

1894 - Late-season record snowfall hits parts of eastern and central Kentucky. Some areas picked up 10 inches of snowfall, while Lexington picked up 6 inches of the white stuff.

1918 - For the third year in a row, the town of Codell, Kansas was struck by a tornado on May 21. (1914, 1915, 1916).

1949 - One of only two days in recorded US History when 100 tornadoes occurred. The other was April 3, 1974.

1957 - Tornado at Williamsburg KS caused 71-mile path of destruction through southern suburbs of Kansas City. There was near total devastation through the suburbs of Ruskin Heights and Hickman Mills. 44 killed and 531 injured. A 5000-pound gasoline tank was reportedly transported 1.5 miles and dropped into a lake. It was Kansas City's worst weather disaster of record.

1963 - Known as Black Saturday in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey as flames from a forest fire moved nine miles in just 6 hours. The flames would burn for 11 days. 7 people were killed and nearly 1000 left homeless as more than 200,000 acres burn.

1982 - 2.5 inches of rain in thirty minutes at Milford Oh, a suburb of Cincinnati.

1985 - Brush fires near Fort Myers FL resulted in the evacuation of s hospital and several homes.

1987 - Grapefruit-size hail in southern Texas killed small animals, damaged property and destroyed watermelon crops.

1997 - Up to 1 million people were left homeless by a cyclone with winds of 145 mph that struck Bangladesh, killing 46. About a third of the casualties were reported in the port city Chittagong, Bangladesh's second largest city. Tidal surges six feet high covered islands and crops while winds toppled trees. Since 1970, such storms have left an estimated 1.5 million people dead.

1997 - The rainfall total for the year at Victoria, Texas stood at a whopping 34.69 inches, nearly 30 inches above 1996's January to May total of 4.81 inches and very near the normal rainfall for the entire year.

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So Long 50's and Clouds

For any of you who (and count me among those) have missed the warm temperatures with sunshine and are ready to be done with our Seattle-type weather, I have FANTASTIC NEWS!!!

WARMING UP
Prepare yourselves for the following: We will see highs on Thursday reach the middle 70's under a mainly cloudy sky with sunshine returning on Friday, high 83°. By Saturday morning we will START at 60° and rise to 87° by the afternoon with only a slight shot at a thunderstorm. Sunday will be hot again, high of 87° and a stray thunderstorm is possible.







MUCH BELOW NORMAL
Since Sunday, we've hovered nearly 20° below normal for our daytime highs.
Here is the list with the normal and difference following.
DAY:   DATE: HIGH: NORM: DIFF:
Sunday 5/15      55.1°    76°       -21°
Monday 5/16     54.4°   76°        -22°
Tuesday 5/17     55.0°    77°       -22°
Wed      5/18     57.6°    77°        -19°

*Latest Local Forecast*

Cookeville's Daily Almanac
5/19/2011 - Thursday
Wednesday's high: 57.6°
Wednesday's low: 48.4°

Normal High: 78°

Normal Low: 53°

Last Year: 81° and 54°
Records: 93° in 1962 and 35° in 2002


24-hour precip total: 0.00"
1.78" of rain fell on this date in 1983

INTERESTING TENNESSEE WEATHER HISTORY:
May 18, 1995:
Severe weather outbreak strikes Middle Tennessee. There are 15 confirmed tornadoes across the mid state, including an F4 which tears a 29 mile path across Lawrence and Giles Counties, killing 3, and injuring 32. A swath of hail damage extends from near Linden to Shelbyville. Hail as large as 3" is reported. Damage to homes and vehicles is extensive. A hailstorm in De Kalb County produces an estimated $1.5 million in damage. This is the 5th largest tornado outbreak in mid state history.


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