4/23 - 2:30pm - West Tennesse Weather / Last Week's Severe

The clouds that were supposed to hang around a bit longer today have actually burned off early across West Tennessee and that presents some issues in the forecast. This has lead to increased instability and the chance for some windy thunderstorms this afternoon in portions of West Tennessee that were not expected based on what data was available this morning. We'll see how this develops, but the SPC is considering posting a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for West Tennessee due to this possibility. Otherwise, expect a small chance for a storm tomorrow with most places seeing very nice weather for Easter-related activities.

Next week looks extremely active severe weather-wise for the region. A pair of disturbances will provide chances for severe weather on Monday and Wednesday, with Wednesday being the most concerning at the moment for widespread severe weather. Everyone from Louisville, Kentucky to Birmingham, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee needs to keep watch on this system. Check out the video below for your complete West Tennessee forecast and some early-morning shenanigans with Peeps Easter candy:



This is my last Saturday at WBBJ for a while since the semester at MSU is ending next week and my storm chasing trip begins the week after. I'll be back doing regular shows again in August once school starts back up. Speaking of severe weather, how about that outbreak last week in Mississippi? Check out this panoramic shot that I took of a supercell and it bore down on Mississippi State's campus on Wednesday:

This photo was shot on an iPhone and has received over 17,000 views on Twitter. Numerous local TV stations aired it on their newscasts and Jim Cantore even showed it on The Weather Channel for quite some time while explaining the cell's characteristics and talking a little bit about my enrollment as a meteorology student at Mississippi State (thanks Jim!). I just love when my storm pictures and videos get airtime since I work hard to capture them. Can't wait to get even more pictures when I start storm chasing in 14 days!

My storm chasing blog begins on May 7th right here and on RyanHoke.com. As usual, I'll be posting daily updates with photos, HD videos, reports, and so much more. Don't forget to go ahead and follow me on Facebook and Twitter so you can be ready to receive my up-to-the-minute chase updates!