textproduct: Morristown

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 719 AM EDT Fri Apr 17 2026

- Well above normal temperatures continue through Saturday. Record highs are possible.

- A cold front will bring widespread showers and possibly a thunderstorm late Saturday and especially Saturday night.

- Cooler temperatures Sunday and Monday, but warming up again next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 256 AM EDT Fri Apr 17 2026

Not too many changes this morning. Hot weather again today and Saturday, with the expected cold front likely to sweep through early Sunday morning. Ahead of the front will be another batch of rain showers, with possibly a thunderstorm or two, which will bring another round of much needed rainfall to the region, though certainly not a drought buster. A few showers may start encroaching on the area Saturday afternoon, but the more likely bulk of the rain will fall overnight into early Sunday morning. CAPE profiles from longer range CAM models don't look overly promising for storm development at this time. Depending on how much rainfall any one location got from the first round of rain a few hours ago, the totals for the week will be close to average or still below average for a week of April. Unfortunately, more substantive relief from the drought will remain on hold.

Daily Record High Maximum Temperatures

Date Chattanooga Knoxville Tri-Cities Oak Ridge 04-17 91(1955) 90(1896) 85(2002) 88(1955) 04-18 90(2002) 90(1896) 87(2002) 89(2002)

Following the front, another disgustingly dry airmass will deposit down onto the region, and with the H85 southeastern ridge being fairly stagnant, we can expect daily low relative humidity minimums for much of the following work week. Rain chances don't seem likely to start creeping in until the end of the work week, with no interesting disturbances in either model suite. Temperatures behind the front will take a healthy nose dive, with potential for isolated frost across northern locations Monday and Tuesday mornings. This is provided there's enough surface moisture to allow for frost formation. Temperatures will steadily rebound thanks again to influence by the H85 ridge, and by late week next week we'll be back in the 80s across much of the Tennessee Valley.

AVIATION

(12Z TAFS) Issued at 719 AM EDT Fri Apr 17 2026

Regional fog around TRI this morning. It didn't end up developing at TYS. Current MVFR CIG at TRI to possibly linger the next couple of hours this morning. Once that clears, VFR and dry weather expected today with light SW-W winds under a strengthening ridge and SFC high pressure.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Chattanooga Airport, TN 89 64 88 49 / 0 0 20 80 Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport, TN 86 61 86 48 / 0 0 20 80 Oak Ridge, TN 87 60 86 47 / 0 0 30 90 Tri Cities Airport, TN 83 56 84 46 / 0 0 30 80

MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE.