Latest news with #CalebCravens
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Why Middle Tennessee isn't under a freeze warning Wednesday morning
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Temperatures are forecasted to drop near and below freezing across all of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky on Wednesday morning. Freeze warnings or frost advisories have been issued in Southern Kentucky, West Tennessee, and North Alabama, but not in Middle Tennessee. News 2 spoke to the National Weather Service in Nashville to learn why. According to Caleb Cravens, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Nashville, frost advisories and freeze warnings will only be issued during the growing season. He said they use past weather data and spoke with local farmers to determine the growing season to be from May 1st until September 30th. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → 'In this area we standardize our frost advisories and our freeze warnings and we only issue them when it's outside of climatological normal to see freezing temperatures, and so in Middle Tennessee on average our last freeze is going to be between April 10th and the 15th, and because of that, because it's not unnormal to see freezing temperatures until April 10th or 15th we will not issue a frost advisory or freeze warning before that date,' Cravens told News 2. Along with Nashville, the National Weather Service office in Morristown, Tennessee, also follows these dates, while other surrounding offices follow different criteria. The offices that change their criteria year to year are in communication with local farmers to determine when to start issuing frost advisories and freeze warnings. National Weather Service Huntsville meteorologist Dan Dixon said, 'The growing season is primarily based on the status of growing vegetation in our region.' ⏩ All the different criteria can be confusing. So the easiest way to know if you are going to get a frost is to watch the News 2 Weather Authority team's forecasts! Don't forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Soggy Middle Tennessee regroups after stormy night, braces for more flooding
Relief from the weather may be difficult to find in Middle Tennessee. The forecast isn't good. "The over-arching threat is flooding, especially west of the Cumberland Plateau," said Caleb Cravens, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Nashville. The Nashville area could get 5 to 6 inches of rain by the weekend. Clarksville could get 8 to 10. Warnings for flash flooding, large hail and straight line winds could pop up through the weekend. Live updates: Strong storms leave 4 dead; flooding risk remains And the rivers will become the focus. Officials are watching the Cumberland, Red, Duck and Buffalo rivers especially with flooding expected to peak on Friday. Stewart and Montgomery counties appear to have the greatest risk for floods. By midday Thursday, four people were reported dead in McNairy, Obion, Carroll and Fayette counties in West Tennessee. And the National Weather Service in Nashville was concerned about new supercell storm activity in Middle Tennessee throughout the day. Just before 10 a.m. Thursday, a new tornado warning was issued for Wilson County. FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Tennessee to supplement response efforts. The problems began Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Your phone likely buzzed with warnings. Your TV may have been on all night as you stared bleary eyed at red and green pixels wondering if those meant tornadoes. You may have had to convince your dog to hide with you in the closet or the bathroom. You may have taken your phone into the basement to watch YouTube updates from NashSevereWx. You stayed home from work, or took a new way into the office or just stayed in bed — to avoid the rising risk of floods. It was a rowdy, rainy night in Middle Tennessee. With daylight, cars began to skid or hydroplane or float in the floodwater. Officials said that was the threat ahead as the weather system stayed in the area, that rivers would rise and low-lying roads may become treacherous with flooding. Already Thursday, parts of Interstate 65 were closed at mile marker 80 because of flooding. The weather service said the Cumberland River in Clarksville is expected to rise through the weekend as rain continues to fall. The weather service said there is a 21% chance of the Cumberland River reaching minor flood stage at 46 feet and a 7% chance the river reaches moderate flood stage at 50 feet. Red River flooding could impact Dunbar Cave Road and homes near the Wingate neighborhood, the weather service said. The Cumberland River in Dover is expected to crest near 66 feet, just shy of the record of 69.33 in 2019. At 66 feet, the weather service said, flooding along the river begins in Stewart County, impacting agricultural areas and adjacent tributaries, and making roads near the river impassable. Near Dover, flooding could impact portions of River Road west of Highway 79, Bellwood Branch Road and Cross Creek Road. Richland Creek in Nashville surged several feet above normal levels Thursday morning, washing away tree limbs and debris. Tony Lance, who works at the Tennessee Wildlife Federation's office off White Bridge Pike, right against the creek, estimated the creek is likely more than 10 feet above its normal height. 'This is the highest we've seen the creek since the big flood … in 2010,' Lance said. 'It hasn't been that high since.' Murky brown water reached up and dragged away several beehives belonging to a beekeeper on the other side of the creek, Lance said. 'They've been washed away, which is a shame,' he said. The flood watch has been extended by the National Weather Service through Sunday. In Columbia, the severe weather couldn't stop Mule Day. In Maury County, several late-night church shelters opened for those seeking refuge from the storm Wednesday, which brought high winds, heavy rain and a tornado warning. The storm follows two tornadoes that touched down in Maury County just days before on Monday, destroying a home in the unincorporated area of Hampshire. Meanwhile, the county's premier event of the year, Mule Day, has not been affected. The event began in 1840 to celebrate breeding, raising, caring for and working with mules. The day features a parade, music, arts and crafts, and food. All Mule Day events are on track according to Louise Mills, the event's public relations director. And the annual wagon train reached Maury County Park without a hitch after a few days of travel by mule-drawn wagons throughout counties in southern Middle Tennessee. 'The mule train had a fabulous week traveling and arrived at the park about 4 p.m. Wednesday,' Mills said, hours before the storm. It was a long night for the National Weather Service office in Nashville. Cravens said the NWS "staffed up" with extra meteorologists, and "there were plenty of sweets around." The NWS generally does storm surveys to quickly track and assess damage, but this storm will be treated a bit differently. Since staff members are spending most of their time trying to stay ahead of tornadoes, floods and other severe weather activity, and since the threat will last several days, surveys will be delayed. "We'll start Monday at the earliest," Cravens said. One of the hardest hit regions was McNairy County, where Paul Floyd rode out the storm in his hallway with his wife and mother in law. All made it through safe. But the damage to his home was quick and violent. Floyd said the tornado went over his house in three minutes and ripped the roof off. Wednesday morning, Floyd was collecting clothes out of his house with his son. 'You hear about these things, but you never thought you'd have to be in one … three minutes," Floyd said. "Around about when it came through, it sounded like a train taking off. We got in the hallway. That's when everything came down on us in the hallway. We rode it out.' Josh Barnes, Floyd's son, told him he recovered five suits. 'That's good, as long as I've got something,' Floyd said. 'I just hope this don't happen to nobody else,' said Floyd, who had lived in Selmer for about two years and is still paying off the now roof-less home. In Fairview, a couple who had sought refuge in a storm shelter returned to their Pinecrest Court residence when a tree crashed onto their home. Winona Brewer said she and her husband were just going to bed when they heard the crashing tree. The tree damaged part of their home, and it smashed into their new car, Brewer said. Chris Day contributed to this story This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee weather: Middle TN regroups, braces for more rain, flooding
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
After severe weather, cold front hits Nashville area: 'A little taste of winter again'
After a bout of severe weather hit Middle Tennessee leading to tornado warnings, flash flooding and strong thunderstorms, the National Weather Service in Nashville says temperatures are expected to drop to near or below freezing as the region dries out. Tennessean's can often be heard saying, 'If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes'. And that seems to be the case this week, as the region moves from a severe weather system to freezing temperatures at night and dry conditions later this week. Flash floods have been reported across the region Sunday after a significant weather system brought anywhere from half an inch to 6.5 inches of rain recorded in Bedford County, the National Weather Service in Nashville said. Between 1.26 inches and 4.39 inches of rain were recorded in the Nashville area. Flooding concerns continue to linger Sunday morning. 'Several of our rivers and creeks are still in flood stage, so we still have several flood warnings and flood advisories out for those across the Midstate,' NWS Nashville Meteorologist Caleb Cravens said. Live updates: At least 30 dead as tornadoes and extreme weather push across US The National Weather Service in Nashville deployed a survey team Sunday morning to assess if any tornadoes touched down in Middle Tennessee over the weekend. Across the U.S., the severe weather led to at least 30 deaths in five states. Nearly three dozen counties in Tennessee were under a tornado watch and at least one warning was issued for parts of Rutherford County on Saturday. More: Tornado warning issued for parts of Rutherford County, tornado watch for Middle Tennessee A wind advisory was issued ahead of the storm front Friday. Wind speeds were recorded as high as 61 mph in Bedford County and 51 mph winds were reported in Williamson County. 'Through the day today as our team goes through the counties where we issued those warnings, where we have reports of damage, we'll be able to make that decision if there was anything confirmed,' Cravens said. Good news? We're past the severe weather, he said. 'We're actually going into some relief," he said. As a cold front moves into the region Sunday, temperatures will drop overnight. 'We're gonna get a little taste of winter again,' he said. Temperatures near or below freezing are expected Sunday night. 'Right around 28-32 degrees (Fahrenheit) tonight across the whole Midstate as that cold front moves through today,' Cravens said. Cooler temperatures are expected Monday morning, upper 50s to near 60 for the highs. 'But after that we warm up again,' he said. Middle Tennessee can expect to see mid to upper 70s by Tuesday and Wednesday. There's a chance of rain showers beginning Wednesday, but Cravens said the region will dry back out into the second half of the week with spring-like temperatures in the mid 60s. As Middle Tennessee dries out from the severe weather weekend, a marginal fire concern may present in some areas on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons. 'There will be a little bit of an elevated risk for fire weather … we just caution folks against burning outdoors and things like that,' he said. Burn bans are issued at the county level based on individual, local criteria. 'That's going to be up to the cities on what they decide to do," he said. "It doesn't look quite that bad though, I don't think anyone will be doing anything like that.' Contact local authorities for local restrictions and active burn bans in your area. Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Weather in Nashville: After storms, freezing temps, dry air ahead
