Severe weather possible Tuesday in the Evansville, Henderson areas
If it feels like the weather has been quiet lately, you're right. But that could change Tuesday, when there's a chance of severe thunderstorms in the Tri-State.
The National Weather Service says several of the needed ingredients for strong storms could come together in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. And while the best chance of a tornado outbreak is well south of the Evansville area, damaging winds and large hail will be possible here.
A strong cold front will move into the region Tuesday, with scattered chances for thunderstorms in the afternoon as the front clashes with warm, muggy air moving north from the Gulf of Mexico.
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The best opportunity for severe weather comes after 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to the weather service's forecast.
It'll be a departure from what has been a quiet late summer and early autumn in terms of severe weather in the Tri-State. It's been nearly four months since the weather service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the area, and more than six months since the last tornado watch.
Both October and November have been drier than normal in Evansville, with less than three-quarters of an inch of rain falling in November and 1.37 inches recorded in October, both more than two inches lower than normal. That's led to drought conditions in the region.
The U.S. Drought Map has most of the Tri-State in a "moderate drought" area, and parts of Western Kentucky in an "extreme drought" situation. Tuesday's storms could bring a half an inch of rain to parts of the region.
After the cold front moves through, temperatures will plunge. A high of 63 degrees on Tuesday will be replaced by 44 on Wednesday and 39 on Thursday. A slight warm-up is expected on Friday, when the high temperature should rebound to the lower 50s. More rain is possible over the weekend.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville weather forecast includes severe weather on Tuesday
