Severe weather heads to Tennessee – again! What it means for the Knoxville area

Devarrick Turner, Knoxville News Sentinel
·2 min read
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Barely a week after severe storms and tornadoes swept through West and Middle Tennessee, the areas might face damaging winds and hail on Wednesday.

East Tennessee could be spared.

Severe weather is forecast to move in Wednesday afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service.

"Late tonight into Thursday morning, a few thunderstorms will be possible near the Cumberland Plateau, which may produce some strong wind gusts," according to a Wednesday NWS Morristown statement.

Sixteen states - including Tennessee - and 50 million people are at risk for severe weather and tornadoes. States in the path of the storms include Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Mississippi.

What to expect from East Tennessee weather

The storms are forecast to bring showers and a chance of thunderstorms in East Tennessee. Knoxville areas are at a marginal risk for severe weather and thunderstorms are expected in areas further east, according to NWS Morristown.

  • Wednesday: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid-80s, and winds 10 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph.

  • Wednesday night: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Chance of rain is 50%.

  • Thursday: Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms with highs in the mid-70s. Chance of is rain 70%.

  • Thursday night: Cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then chance of showers after midnight. Chance of rain is 40%.

  • Friday: Cloudy with a 50% chance of showers, highs in the upper 50s.

Following last week's violent storms across the South

The threat comes after multiple confirmed tornadoes touched down in Tennessee as severe storms rolled through March 31 and April 1.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency confirmed the storms caused as least 15 deaths and damaged 259 homes. NWS Nashville confirmed five tornadoes hit Middle Tennessee last week.

Three EF-3 tornadoes touched down on Friday in Covington and Adamsville, Tennessee, and in Wynne, Arkansas, according to the NWS Memphis office. And a suspect EF-2 tornado hit Wayne, Lewis, McNairy and Hardin counties.

About two weeks ago, tornadoes swept through northern parts of Mississippi and into Alabama overnight on March 24, killing at least 26 people and damaging more than 1,900 homes in 12 counties.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville weather: showers and chance of thunderstorms this weekend