NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A rare regional severe weather outbreak is expected Friday in parts of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. For Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, there will be two main rounds of severe storms, one impacting the region in the morning and another for late afternoon through early Saturday morning.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

A Severe Thunder Storm Watch is in effect until 9 a.m. Friday for all of Southern Kentucky and the Middle Tennessee counties of Benton, Carroll, Cheatham, Dickson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart.

Through 7 a.m. Friday, the overall severe risk is low, but mainly for wind gusts and hail. An isolated tornado is not ruled out.

After 7 a.m. Friday, the Storm Prediction Center has upgraded all of Southern Kentucky to a Moderate Risk (level 4/5) and now includes most of northern Middle Tennessee. An Enhanced Risk (level 3/5) for nearly the rest of Middle TN, with a Slight Risk (level 2/5) for far southeastern Middle Tennessee.

Now for Friday late afternoon through early Saturday morning, the threats increase for our area. Damaging wind gusts are becoming the biggest concern for all of our area, but large hail and tornadoes are possible, especially for northern Middle Tennessee into Southern Kentucky. Also, heavy rain at times will accompany these storms.

Looking to Future Tracker for early Friday, storms will move in after 4 a.m. and continue through mid-morning. Some severe storms are possible in northern Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, mainly for a wind gust & hail threat.

For Friday late afternoon through early Saturday morning, let's first talk about the severe threats in closer detail. Part of this Moderate Risk (level 3/5) for most of our area is due to increasing wind gusts and large hail. The Storm Prediction Center says the wind & hail concerns could be significant (gusts greater than 74 miles per hour and hail possibly bigger than 2 inches in diameter).

The tornado risk is also a concern, especially for far northern Middle TN & most of Southern Kentucky. The SPC outlines this area for a higher risk of a few tornadoes, with a 10% chance of a few strong tornadoes (within the yellow shaded areas, a tornado could reach EF-2 strength or stronger).

Looking closer at Future Tracker for Friday, temperatures Friday afternoon reach the middle to upper 80s with not much storm coverage during the day after the morning storms end. With greater weather dynamics approaching the area, the severe weather potential will increase by the afternoon and evening. Several rounds of storms likely, especially north of Nashville, but most of us will see the storms late Friday evening into Saturday morning. It will be imperative to stay alert and have ways to get weather warnings.

Storms end Saturday morning, and then we expect a quiet but humid Saturday. On Sunday, storms are possible in the morning, but we will dry out in the afternoon. More storms are expected by Monday through the first half of next week.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/weather-headlines/tn-forecast-storms-likely-friday-into-saturday/