**A Tornado Watch is in effect for McMinn, Monroe and Blount counties until 2 a.m..**
For the rest of this evening and overnight...
Winds become breezy as the pressure gradient begins to tighten up across the region.
Gusts up to 40 mph are possible in the lower elevations while the higher elevations of the Foothills and Smokies could experience a mountain wave event. *This will mainly impact Great Smoky Mountains National Park and elevations above where most folks live but places that typically have higher gusts in these events, like Camp Creek and Cove Mountain, should be prepared for strong winds.*
**A Wind Advisory is in effect through 2 p.m. Monday.**
**A High Wind Warning is in effect through 8 a.m. Monday.**
As of now, the warm front that was forecast to lift north and bring the potential for severe storms to our area, is moving slower than expected and is currently located across northern Alabama.
This means that our chances for severe weather have come down a little bit... But they still exist.
Strong storms could still produce damaging winds and an isolated tornado is not out of the question. Make sure you pay attention and check back for updates!
The current band of heavy rain and embedded storms will last until around 2-3 a.m. so don't go to bed without a way to receive weather alerts.
Flash flooding from heavy rain is our main concern, especially in low-lying and flood prone areas.
2"-4" of rain (with locally higher totals) is expected.
**A Flash Flood Watch is in effect through 9 a.m. Monday.**
What should you do now? Make sure you are prepared.
Have multiple ways to receive alerts to your cell phone, including the free WBIR Weather app (Apple, Google Play) and the WBIR news app (make sure to turn on weather notifications under the settings) and making sure your Weather Emergency Alerts are turned on under the notifications.
Make sure you have fresh batteries in your NOAA Weather Radio and having flashlights and batteries on hand in case the power goes out would also be a good idea.
You can find the list of NOAA Weather Radio stations in East Tennessee here: https://www.weather.gov/mrx/nwr
We will continue to refine the details as we get closer so check back for updates!