Rain, rain go away
Sunnier skies expected this weekend, next week
After a soaking week, Chattanooga is expected to get a break from the heavy rain this weekend.
Since July 1, the city has received 3.37 inches of rain, more than double what it received at this time in 2016, WRCB Chief Meteorologist Paul Barys said Friday.
Chattanooga also has received more than 36.54 inches of rain this calendar year as of July 6, which is well above the average of 27.8 inches, added Jeremy Buckles, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn. This is in stark contrast to last year when Chattanooga was in what is considered “extreme drought,” with only 19.44 inches of rain between Jan. 1 and July 6, 2016.
Buckles said the rain is “something to be happy about.”
“This time last year, Chattanooga was in what we refer to as D3, or extreme drought conditions, and the rain received recently in the past six months or so went a long way to alleviating that drought,” Buckles said.
However, the rain will continue into today, when the weather service
predicts a cold front will push through the area, with lower humidity levels and a 30 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Some of those storms may include strong winds and heavy rain in some locations.
After the front moves through this afternoon, humidity levels will drop and the area will dry out tonight, making for some pleasant weather on Sunday and Monday, Barys said.
“We’ll see a lot of sunshine and high temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s,” Buckles said. “However, we may start to get back into that summertime pattern of some afternoon showers and thunderstorms.”
As the weekend comes to an end, there will be an approximately 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms going into next week, according to the weather service.
Barys said the temperature will drop to the midto low-60s Sunday night before climbing back up to the 90s next week.