Summer heat bears down on Nashville
Tonight through the weekend will see very warm and muggy weather. A Heat Advisory has been issued for tomorrow for most of Middle Tennessee west of the Cumberland Plateau. Afternoon heat indices are expected to reach 105° or greater in the advisory area.
By early Saturday morning, temperatures are expected to be in the low 80s. Sunday’s high temperature will be in the low 90s.
Saturday is a First Alert Weather Day. It’ll be one of the most uncomfortable days so far this year because of the heat and humidity. The air temperature will skyrocket into the mid-upper 90s during the afternoon. Meanwhile, you can count on a top heat index between 105° and 110°. A Heat Advisory is in effect for our area for Saturday between noon and 8 pm.
A couple of isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible on Saturday (daytime rain chance, 20%). However, the rain chance will increase Saturday night to 50% as more showers and storms move in from the northwest. A few of those storms could become strong with sudden damaging wind gusts, along with heavy downpours and frequent lightning. Some of these potentially strong storms will linger past midnight into very early Sunday morning.
This week Nashville and Memphis were under heat advisories as temperatures reached into the high 90s. The heat index in both cities got above 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday. Cooling centers were opened in both cities, while Nashville’s Office of Homeless Services and other community service organizations performed heat checks and offered rides to shelters and cooling centers.
Nashville’s Metropolitan Action Commission offers free window AC units to seniors, families with young children and people with medical conditions that are affected by the heat. “We know it’s been very hot, 96, 97 degrees temperature here in Nashville. Probably one of the hottest Junes I feel like I’ve been a part of,” said Marvin Cox, the community outreach director who handles Nashville’s air conditioner program.
The program doesn’t get grants, so the AC units are typically purchased by the agency or they rely on donations of new AC units or monetary donations.