Dangerous heat and poor air quality through the week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The final week of August is far different than the cooler weather our region experienced last week. It has been a humble reminder that August heat doesn’t take much of a break.

So far, this week has featured poor air quality, very hot temperatures and absolutely no rain. This will change by the end of the week into the start of September, but until then you’ll want to be extremely cautious when outdoors.

Let’s break down each weather impact.

Air Quality Alert

An Air Quality Alert is in effect until 12 a.m. Thursday for Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Hickman, Macon, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, and Wilson counties. This alert is likely to be issued on Thursday as well.

It is a code orange, which means folks who suffer from heart/lung disease as well as older adults and kids should limit their time outside. The cause is due to sunshine, dry air, low humidity, and light winds at the surface and aloft.

Due to the causes, the air quality is a concern for all of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. The advice is to limit time outdoors and avoid the hottest part of the daytime. If you notice increased coughing or difficult breathing, get to cooler and moving air. Seek medical help if necessary.

Extreme heat

Since Monday, high temperatures have been in the middle 90s to around 100°. This stretch of hot weather (at 100° or above) for Nashville will continue through Thursday. The measure of the moisture (also known as the dew point) has remained in the 50s to low 60s. This means the air temperature can climb but the feels like temperature is at, or below, the air temperature.

On Tuesday, Nashville hit 100°. On Wednesday, highs reach around or slightly above 100 degrees again. Wednesday’s record of 103° is not impossible, set back on August 28, 1990.

On Thursday, the Gulf moisture increases for our west/southwest areas. A Heat Advisory is possible for the aforementioned areas. Regardless, it is still hot! Highs could get as high as 102° in Nashville, which would smash an old record of 100° set back on August 29, 1897 (yes, a 127-year old record!).

By Friday, highs range from the lower to upper 90s. Gulf moisture will be in full force, therefore it will feel like 100° – 105° in our region. A Heat Advisory is possible.

Increasing rain chances

As the Gulf moisture finally returns, this will support rain and thunderstorms in our area. Our region is not under a defined severe weather risk at this time, but any storm could produce lightning, gusty winds, and brief heavy rainfall. This starts on Thursday in our southern/southwest areas mainly with daytime heating.

Friday, the heat high has moved to the east, allowing for even more moisture to enter the picture for rain and thunderstorms. The coverage Friday is not great, but everyone will have a chance of rain. A few storms may briefly delay start times for high school football games, but all rain should end by 8:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday feature the best days for rain and storms. This is because of an approaching cold front. College football games on Saturday may see rain/storms at times, but the whole day is not a washout. Rain totals not impressive through Sunday, under 1″ for most locations.

The cold front will result in cooler temperatures for the first week of September! We will take the heat break with highs likely in the 80s to near 90!

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