Tennessee Readies For Irma's Arrival

NASHVILLE, TN — Middle Tennessee is preparing for the remnants of the massive Hurricane Irma to push in some time late Monday afternoon, with such non-tropical locales like Lynchburg already under a rare tropical storm watch.

The 400-mile-wide storm made landfall in the Florida Keys Sunday morning, pummeling South Florida with Category 4 winds and torrential rainfall. Utility crews and tree services from throughout the Midwest could be seen heading south on Middle Tennessee's Interstates throughout the weekend, with license plates from Florida spotted headed north.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

Like Nashville Patch on Facebook and continue reading

But as the huge storm cruises up the Florida Peninsula and surges into Georgia, Middle Tennessee will become more than just a pass-through for recovery crews or a sheltering spot for evacuees. Rains should begin in southern Middle Tennessee Monday afternoon and reaching the Nashville area by the afternoon, with high winds and rains from late Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning and rain persisting through midweek.

Irma's western sojourn will put much of Middle Tennessee on the northeast side of the storm as the eye skirts into West Tennessee. The northeast side is typically the most severe quadrant of a tropical cyclone. Now, Irma is expected to turn back to the northeast before it rolls into Kentucky midweek, which may bring a second dose of rain.

The NWS office in Nashville is not anticipating the same soaking rains that caused flooding when Harvey's remnants came through. Forecasters say rainfall will range from one to four inches by the time everything is said and done.

The NWS office in Huntsville, though, does anticipate heavy winds — 30 to 40 mph sustained with gusts of 60 — in southern Middle Tennessee when Irma arrives Monday afternoon and has placed Lincoln, Moore and Franklin counties under a tropical storm watch. The Nashville office issued a wind advisory — winds are forecast at 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 45 mph — for the entire Midstate.

Five shelters are ready in Tennessee with two, 20-person pet friendly shelters in Nashville at Christ Lutheran and First Lutheran in Nashville. Other shelters are open in Chattanooga, Johnson City and Memphis.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, along with the governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and North Carolina, spoke to President Donald Trump over the weekend.

Image via Shutterstock