Memphis area under tornado watch, wind advisory
The Mid-South is under a tornado watch Wednesday afternoon through the evening.
National Weather Service Memphis issued the tornado watch at 2:35 p.m. and will last until 8 p.m. Wednesday as a broken line of thunderstorms moves through the Memphis area.
A tornado watch alerts residents of the possibility of a tornado, a warning means a tornado has been sighted in the area.
NWS Meteorologist Caitlin Dirkes said the watch is a "low-confidence, low-probability event," and as the broken line of thunderstorms move towards the Mississippi River, rotation is possible.
"We just can't rule it out," Dirkes said. "It was really like erring on the side of caution."
Memphis also remains under a wind advisory until 6 p.m. with winds up to 25 mph and gusts up to 40 mph, according to NWS.
Memphis will see heavy rainfall and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon but by 9 p.m. the weather should stabilize with some rain before midnight, Dirkes said.
Temperatures Wednesday will drop from 70 degrees to about 50 degrees as the storm moves through.
Dirkes said residents should stay alert during severe weather.
By Thursday, Memphis-area skies will clear and temperatures will stay between 53 and 36 degrees.
Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.Amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @AmroDima.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis area under tornado watch, wind advisory, thunderstorms move in
