Flood watch issued for Thursday and early Friday
Where the tornado sirens are in the Middle Tennessee area
With severe weather season upcoming, here is a look at how many tornado sirens there are in the Middle Tennessee area.
The information was supplied by county and city emergency management and other agencies:
Metro Davidson County 73: All are operational, said Amanda Sluss of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management.
Williamson County 61 total.
Williamson County 29
Brentwood 17, including two at Granny White Park and one at Crockett Park including lightning detection devices.
Franklin has 15, with three more planned and four more proposed in the upcoming budget.
Wilson County 15.
Rutherford County 6. All are property of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Five were installed in recent months. Five of the six are on campus and one is at Miller Coliseum, an off-campus horse facility, in Murfreesboro
A flood watch is in effect for Thursday through early Friday with 2-4 inches of rain possible for Nashville and areas of Middle Tennessee.
There is a slight risk for severe weather in Nashville and Middle Tennessee, with a possibility of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, according to meteorologist David Matson of the National Weather Service’s Nashville office.
Davidson, Williamson, Wilson and Sumner Counties were included in the flood watch as of Wednesday, and Metro Davidson County warned residents living in low-lying areas with creeks and streams to be aware of potential flooding and to monitor local weather forecasts.
“The ground is a little dry which will lend itself to taking in some extra rain,’’ said Matson.
Amanda Sluss of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management said Metro is monitoring the system with the weather service predicting a nearly 100 percent chance of rain Thursday during the day and into the night.
Williamson was also on alert as the severe weather season begins.
“It depends how fast the rain falls,’’ Bill Jorgensen, Emergency Communications and Emergency Management director, said. “I wouldn’t expect any major problems in Williamson County unless it all falls at once.’’
Tornado sirens in Davidson, Williamson, Wilson and Rutherford were reported as operational.
Wilson County Emergency Management has identified around 80 locations that can be prone to flood problems, according to Emergency Management director John Jewell. Those include areas of Coles Ferry Pike, Bluebird Road, Cedar Creek and Sinking Creek, which runs under the Lebanon Town Square.
What’s ahead for severe weather season
The long range forecast for March, April and May in Middle Tennessee, according to the Climate Prediction Center in Washington D.C., is a likelihood of above normal temperatures.
Severe weather chances often increase in spring because of increased interaction of warm moist masses with cold drier air masses, Weather Service meteorologist Jason Wright said.
