We're taking a one-day break from our Weather Folklore series because there's another weather question I get asked ALL THE TIME: “Elijah, does it seem like weather is getting more intense?” Usually it comes after a major tornado, a flash flood, a hurricane, a ridiculous heat wave, or one of those videos on Facebook where somebody's trampoline is achieving low-Earth orbit. Even after the lightning storms on Tuesday night, I had many people reach out and say this is the “worst” lightning storm they’ve ever seen.

Yesterday we cracked open persimmon seeds to see if they could tell us what winter has in store. Today, we're sticking with the winter weather theme—mostly because talking about snow is about the only way I can mentally escape the sauna outside right now. 😂 This piece of folklore is one I've heard plenty of times after a good Southern snow: “If snow stays on the ground for several days, it's waiting on another one.”

We're going from sunshowers to something a little more seasonal in today's edition of Weather Folklore. And considering we're currently sweating through heat index values above 100 degrees, talking about snow and bitter cold honestly doesn't sound half bad. 😂 Today's folklore involves a fruit you can find growing wild across much of our region: the persimmon.

According to an old Appalachian and Ozark tradition, you can crack open the seed of a locally grown persimmon and find a tiny shape inside that supposedly reveals what Mother Nature has planned for the upcoming winter.

We've made it through several days of our Weather Folklore series, and today's saying is a perfect example of how a little bit of real meteorology can turn into a much bigger prediction once it's been passed down through generations. You've probably experienced this before: It's a hot summer afternoon, the sun is shining brightly, and suddenly... it's raining. Then somebody says: "If it rains while the sun is shining, it'll rain at the same time tomorrow."

I've heard several variations of this one over the years, but they all make essentially the same prediction. A sunshower today means you can expect another shower at about the same time the following day. But can one sunshower really predict tomorrow's weather down to the hour?

One of the things I've enjoyed most about this new Weather Folklore series is discovering that not every old weather saying is completely made up. Some have surprising scientific explanations, while others simply don't hold up when you compare them against decades of weather records. Today's saying is one I've heard countless times across Tennessee: "If it rains on the first day of the month, it'll rain 15 days out of that month."

We've all heard them. Those old weather sayings that have been passed down from parents, grandparents, and generations before them. Some have a surprising amount of science behind them, while others are little more than coincidence wrapped in a catchy phrase. That's exactly what this Weather Folklore series is all about.

Today's saying is perhaps one of the oldest (and one of the most quoted) weather proverbs in history: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning."

Yesterday we kicked off our new Weather Folklore mini-series by taking a look at one of Tennessee's oldest weather sayings: August fog means winter snow. Today, we're tackling another belief that's probably just as familiar. Have you ever been sitting on the porch during a warm summer evening when you notice flashes of lightning off in the distance—but you never hear any thunder?

Over the next several days, we're launching a new mini-series here on the STN Weather Blog called Weather Folklore. For generations, people have looked to nature for clues about what the weather might do next. From woolly worms and persimmon seeds to halos around the moon and red sunsets, nearly every community has its own collection of weather sayings that have been passed down through the years.

After several weeks of tracking heat advisories, severe weather threats, and flooding concerns, this week's forecast is refreshingly quiet. That doesn't mean we're headed into a completely dry stretch (this is still August in Tennessee) but there simply aren't any major weather systems expected to bring widespread hazardous weather over the next seven days.

If you're making weekend plans, Saturday is the day you'll want to keep a close eye on the forecast. Whether it's a ballgame, a cookout, a trip to the lake, or simply mowing the yard, you'll want to have a backup plan ready. While the entire weekend won't be a washout, Saturday is expected to bring the highest coverage of showers and thunderstorms we've seen in several days.

If you've been enjoying the break from the heat and humidity over the past couple of days, don't worry—you've still got another beautiful day ahead on Friday. But after that, our attention quickly turns to Saturday, which is shaping up to be our next active weather day. The good news is that this doesn't look like a widespread severe weather outbreak. The bad news? Heavy rain, frequent lightning, and a few stronger thunderstorms could make for a soggy Saturday across Southern Middle Tennessee.

If you've stepped outside today, you've probably noticed something almost immediately. It doesn't feel nearly as miserable.

If you've been counting down the days until this latest stretch of dangerous heat finally comes to an end, I've got some good news. Today is likely the hottest day we'll experience for quite some time.

If you've been following Southern Tennessee Weather over the past couple of weeks, you've probably noticed something. The forecast has... evolved. Quite a bit. One day we're talking about storms arriving around midnight. A few hours later, the arrival time shifts to 3:00 AM. Then the storms weaken before they ever make it here. The next night, another complex develops that wasn't expected to amount to much, only to strengthen as it approaches Middle Tennessee.

For the first time in quite a while, Southern Middle Tennessee has something to celebrate. According to this week's latest U.S. Drought Monitor, every county in our coverage area is now completely free of drought conditions.

If you've stepped outside today, you've probably noticed it already. The oppressive humidity is gone. The air feels noticeably lighter. Temperatures are running well below where they've been for most of July, and after weeks of feeling like we were living in a sauna, Southern Middle Tennessee is finally getting a well-deserved break.

We've made it to what will likely be the most active weather day of the week. Tuesday brings a one-two punch of dangerous heat during the afternoon followed by the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms later this evening and tonight. After that, one of the nicest air masses we've experienced all summer will settle into Southern Middle Tennessee. Let's break it down…

After several weeks of nearly nonstop afternoon thunderstorms and summer humidity, this week will feature just about everything Tennessee weather has to offer. Dangerous heat will dominate the first half of the week before a cold front brings our next chance for strong to severe storms. Behind that front, we'll finally get a break from both the oppressive heat and humidity.

If it feels like we've been talking about afternoon thunderstorms for weeks... you're not wrong. Since early July, Southern Middle Tennessee has settled into a persistent summertime pattern featuring daily showers and thunderstorms, occasional heavy rainfall, and plenty of humidity. While not everyone has seen rain every day, there have been very few days where at least part of our area stayed completely dry.

After several days of the typical summertime "hit-or-miss" showers and thunderstorms, we're beginning to transition into a slightly more active pattern as we head into the weekend. The good news? WIDESPREAD severe weather is not expected (a few still could be strong). The not-so-good news? Rain chances will increase, especially Saturday night, and the hottest weather we've seen in a couple of weeks is waiting just around the corner.