Happy Friday, everyone!
I’m meteorologist Mike Witcher—thanks for checking in with your full East Tennessee weather forecast. Hope you have a great day and enjoy the weekend ahead. We’ve got some big-picture changes to talk about, including afternoon storms locally and two tropical systems in the Atlantic that could influence our weather next week.
Where We’ve Been
Thursday brought highs in the 70s and 80s across the region, with spotty showers in a few locations. While rainfall totals weren’t widespread, we’re starting to see a more unsettled pattern building in.
Today’s Forecast
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Highs: Upper 70s to low 80s (seasonable for late September).
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Rain Chances: A few afternoon showers and thunderstorms, especially across the Smoky Mountain counties. Most of the activity remains east into the Carolinas, but some storms could drift into the valley.
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Evening: Temperatures around 80° by 6 PM, cooling into the low 70s tonight.
Weekend Outlook
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Saturday: Slightly better coverage of showers and storms. A few storms could produce gusty winds (30–40 mph),but severe weather is not expected.
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Sunday: Showers taper off, more clouds than rain.
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Overall: Not a washout—outdoor plans are still a go, just keep an umbrella handy.
Tropical Systems to Watch
Two storms are on the radar, and one may influence us next week:
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Hurricane Humberto – Currently at 75 mph winds. Forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane (Cat 3–4) by Monday. The good news: models show it curving back out into the Atlantic, sparing the U.S. mainland.
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Disturbance in the Caribbean (likely to become “Imelda”) – High chance of development (90% in 7 days). Models disagree on its track: some curve it out to sea, while others bring it across Florida or the Southeast U.S. coastline.Consensus favors a track toward South Carolina.
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Impact for East Tennessee: Depending on the storm’s path, tropical moisture could stream into our area Tuesday and Wednesday, boosting rain chances significantly.
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Flash Flooding Risk
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Today and Saturday: Localized flooding concerns mainly east and southeast of Knoxville.
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Breaks in rain should limit widespread flooding, but poor drainage areas may see standing water.
7 Day Forecast Highlights
- Friday:Spotty mountain showers, highs near 80°.
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Saturday: More widespread showers and storms, highs in the upper 70s.
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Sunday: Clouds linger, isolated showers.
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Monday: Mostly dry, temps in the low 80s.
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Tuesday–Thursday: Increasing tropical moisture, higher rain chances (40–60%). Temps drop into the 70s.
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Beyond: Climate Prediction Center keeps us on track for above-average warmth into early October, once the rain clears.
Final Thoughts
So, enjoy a mostly dry Friday, keep an eye on Saturday storms, and then all eyes turn to the tropics next week. Whether or not “Alda” directly impacts East Tennessee, some of that tropical moisture looks likely to enhance our midweek rain.
Remember—you can track every shower with the interactive radar in the free East Tennessee Weather app. For a quick version of the forecast, check out One Minute with Witcher—updated twice daily.
Have a great Friday and an even better weekend!
