A few widely scattered showers will develop out ahead of the main precipitation shield; however, the heaviest weather is not due in until around 6am or perhaps slightly later. The low level winds are fairly ROBUST with H85 winds of 60-70kts forecast. Since the strong winds will not have far to go to reach the surface, it will not take much convection for them to reach the surface and possibly cause issues.

The 0-1km helicity forecasts are a bit worrisome with 350-400m2/s2 right over us as the line of storms move closer toward the area. One limiting factor is the time of day and lack of instability. SBCAPE values of 250j/kg are not out of the question; however, with such a volatile wind profile I would tend to think weaker updrafts (updrafts that will be fed on upper level ascent) would easily get rolled and eventually destroyed.

This event is very classic in terms of cool season severe with low instability and high shear. The best chance for tornadoes in general appears to be west of here where instability values are higher; however, given strong shear and strong forcing I can’t rule out a spin up here or there. EHI (0-1km) values of around 1 or slightly higher are forecast for this time period. This value is relatively low considering higher end events; however, given the time of year it is still rather impressive. Again, for that reason I simply can’t rule out a possible spin up.

With that said, I do not expect a widespread tornado outbreak by any means. I am very concerned about the possibility of strong damaging winds that will accompany the line of storms as it moves eastward. Even heavier shower activity may be enough to pull some of the wind energy down to the surface. Due to the lack of instability and fairly low topped convection, lightning may be limited with these cells as well.

Again, timing looks to be between 6am and 10am given model disagreement. Often times squall lines tend to surge forward a bit faster than forecast so that is why I’m thinking 6am at the earliest and 10am given the slower guidance. The morning rush looks very wet and windy. Be sure to keep both hands on the wheel as you drive and use extra caution if you drive a high profile vehicle.

Summary:

-Severe storms are possible
-Strong possibly damaging winds are the primary threat
-Can’t rule out an isolated tornado; however, no widespread tornado outbreak is expected
-Limited lightning
-Brief heavy rainfall

Residents are urged to be ready to act and know what to do if a watch or warning is issued for the area. Stay safe and stay informed.

Meteorologist: Robert Frye
Updated: 7:00pm CST 1/29/13

“Coffee with the Congressman” is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 at the Dutch Maid Bakery at 29 Courthouse Square in Jasper. The event will begin at 10:00am CST.

The congressman says the event will be a chance for constituents to join him for a conversation about how he intends to serve the District in the upcoming session of Congress.

The event is a casual attire.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Isiah Robinson.

The reason we’re not as immune as many think is due to the Gulf of Mexico being our primary source for warm air and moisture. In the cooler season, a southerly wind from that direction usually brings us warmer and more humid conditions. The same can be said for the summer. Ever wonder why the Sequatchie Valley is so humid during the summer? Well, if the Gulf of Mexico wasn’t there it would be significantly drier and not nearly as rainy. This warm rich air that moves into the region from the gulf is one ingredient that can bring us severe weather.

In all seasons except summer and early autumn, we usually get frontal boundaries from the northwest that cool us down and dry our air. Out ahead of the cold front, winds turn out of the south and spread the warmer more humid air from the gulf northward. The interaction between the warm moist air and cooler dry air causes widespread showers and storms, especially along or slightly ahead of the cold frontal boundary.

With that said, we are NOT immune to tornadoes during the late summer months and early autumn months. Land-falling tropical storms and hurricanes can move into the region and bring flooding rains, gusty winds, and even isolated weak tornadoes. For this reason, it is important to be aware of the weather and be ready to act when watches and warnings are issued for your area.

There are many ways to keep updated on current watches and warnings. You may purchase a weather radio with S.A.M.E. technology at many retail outlets that sell electronics. These radios can be found at the RadioShack in Kimball Crossing as well as Walmart, and were also available at CVS in Jasper in the past.

For those that use smartphones, there are several cheap and even free apps that can be bought to alert you to any threats. One app, offered for FREE is the ReadyTN Mobile Preparedness App from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. You can learn more about the ReadyTN app here.  Also, many cell phone service providers offer free text messages of alerts using the phone GPS. Check with your cell phone service provider to determine whether or not your device is capable, and whether or not they offer these messages.

For those still “wired” with a landline phone, the county’s Reverse 911 system can also be activated to alert residents. This system is already setup for area land line phones, however citizens can add cell phone numbers and their email, if they wish, by visiting www.marioncosheriff.com and click the “Sign Up for FREE Emergency Alerts”  button on the right side of the page and following the prompts to register a new user. The user will receive an email notifying them that their information has been received and they are active on the system. Local emergency management officials urge those with elderly family members in the area with cell phones to help register those family members.

Marion County Sheriff Ronnie “Bo” Burnett advises residents,  ”If there are elderly residents that need help registering their cell phone, they can call the sheriff’s office (423-942-2525) and we’ll make sure we get them into the system.”

Stay with MarionCountyMessenger.com online, on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter for the very latest weather information.

“Coffee with the Congressman” is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 at the Dutch Maid Bakery at 29 Courthouse Square in Jasper. The event will begin at 10:00am CST.

The congressman says the event will be a chance for constituents to join him for a conversation about how he intends to serve the District in the upcoming session of Congress.

The event is a casual attire.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Isiah Robinson.

**EDITED FOR CORRECTION OF EVENT DAY, 1/29/13 at 8:47am CST**

A low pressure system will develop later tonight or early Thursday along the same frontal boundary that has brought flooding rains to the area for the past several days. That front will be nudged eastward as an upper level “trof” progrades. A strong shortwave embedded in the flow will rotating into MS/AL tomorrow morning/afternoon and take on a negative tilt and finally closes off.

Forecast radar simulations from NAM/RAP indicate a heavy band of snow as far south of southern Mississippi developing tomorrow morning on the backside of the low. This band will quickly slide eastward with time and impact locations further south into Alabama. However, this will need to be watched as our area in located in the synoptically favored regions for snow.

The only issue for you snow lovers will be temperatures (thermal profile). As the closed low passes to the south, dynamic cooling will be maximized over those locations. A combination of cold air advection and minimal dynamic cooling may help change us over around lunch time; however, I do expect a window of rain and snow mix as thermals will gradually cool.

One concern I have right now is precipitation intensity. If a pocket of higher precip rates occur, dynamic cooling will increase changing us over to all snow and those heavy precip rates will mean more snow. At this time it looks like the heaviest precipitation will remain south with the upper level low. Precipitation will come to an end around 6pm Thursday.

Given relatively warm ground temperatures it will take a high density snow to accumulate. I’m not expecting major travel problem initially; however, as temperatures cool overnight I do expect black ice to form on most roadways so use caution driving overnight and early Friday. **It should be noted that there still remain a bit of uncertainty given uncertainty relating to temperatures. We’ll have a late night here in the weather office to analyze new information that comes in around midnight.

Forecast for Marion County:

Thursday: Rainy and cool. Rain will mix with and change over to all snow by afternoon. Snow accumulations will range from a dusting to maybe up to an inch with slightly more possible in the higher elevations. High temperatures will be around 38 early and dropping through the day.

Thursday Night: Precipitation ending during the evening with decreasing clouds. Low temperatures will be around 28. Watch for black ice that may form if you plan to drive.

Friday: Becoming Mostly Sunny with highs in the mid 40’s. Again, there will be a threat for black ice early Friday.

Updated: 5:38 CST on Jan 16, 2013
Staff Meteorologist: Robert Frye

Robert Frye is a Jasper, TN native and Marion County High School graduate. Robert holds a degree in Meteorology from the University of South Alabama in Mobile and is currently a graduate student in Applied Meteorology at Mississippi State University. Frye works for a NOAA contractor as an ice/snow analyst in Washington, D.C., and is Chief Staff Meteorologist for MarionCountyMessenger.com — the only daily local news and information website in the the Tri-State area to employee an actual qualified meteorologist for exclusive weather forecasting and analysis.

MarionCountyMessenger.com Staff Meteorologist Robert Frye says, “the Sequatchie River near Whitwell is now above flood stage and a flood warning is currently in effect for both Marion County and the Sequatchie River.”

“At 14-ft. flooding begins to affect adjacent farmlands around the river and the forecast crest of 16-ft., expected late Wednesday or early Thursday, will cause extensive flooding of farmlands adjacent to the river including local roadways such as Ketner’s Mill Lane and others located near the river and its’ tributaries,” said Frye.

NWS Hydrological Forecast for Sequatchie River

Authorities with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) remind motorists to to never drive through flood waters that cover the roadway.  They also want to remind motorist to stay alert of flood warnings and watches for their area or in locations in which they plan to travel. If you do happen across a flooded roadway, remember, turn around!  Don’t drown!

With the excessive rainfall and related travel hazards, officials with Marion County Schools decided to cancel classes for Tuesday and Wednesday.  Many of the roads affected by flooding are not safely navigated by school buses or other automobiles in these conditions, and officials with the school system say they take the safety of their students, faculty, and staff seriously, thus prompting the system’s closing due to flooding.

Marion schools weren’t the only ones affected by the rains, Hamilton County, TN Schools as well as many systems in North Georgia have a delayed start time for classes on Wednesday.  If flooding continues along Chickamauga Creek in Chattanooga and parts of Catoosa and Walker counties in Georgia, schools may opt for closure there as well, however no official closings for those systems have been made at this time.

Stay with MarionCountyMessenger.com via our website, Facebook page, and Twitter for the latest local news, weather from our own trusted meteorologist, Robert Frye, and other local information around the clock.

Photo Courtesy Sherry Spangler Photography

Marion County is a close-knit community with a heart as big as the valley is wide and as gold as it they come.  And if you need proof of that statement, the turnout to the last night’s “Marion County Unites for Kennedy” event at the Jasper fairgrounds should be proof enough!

The event started as an idea on a local Facebook buy-sell-trade group, spearheaded by local resident Amanda Carter, and grew to an event that reached even beyond the realms of the Facebook community. Thousands of people as well as local TV station WRCB, and radio stations US-101 and Hit 96 showed up at last night’s event to show their love and support of 15-year old Kennedy Griffith.

Kennedy, the 15-year old daughter of  Marion County School Superintendent Mark Griffith, has been battling cancer for the past three years.  She has recently been undergoing treatments at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where it was recently learned that doctors have run out of effective treatment options. However, “The Warrior,” (as so many call her) has kept the positive, strong, and brave attitude that so many have come to know of Kennedy.

The idea behind last night’s event was to assemble as many people possible at the fairgrounds in an arrangement that spelled out a message of well wishes for the girl, which would be visible from a fly over for an aerial photograph for her.

Local photographer, Sherry Spangler, took to the air with pilot Ed Seay and the photo was a success!

Kennedy and her parents Mark and Pam are scheduled to return home from Texas next Friday and close friends of the family say she’ll be traveling in style, riding home in a limousine.

For more on Kennedy’s story, click here to read her CaringBridge journal.

Organizers and volunteers wish to thank all who was able to participate and show their support at the event.

—

By: Logan Carmichael, Publisher/Writer

Friday night kicks off the 2012 TSSAA football season for all of the high schools in the state, however this year one team moves further into the new tech era of game broadcasts than ever before!

Dave Daffron has been the voice behind Marion County High School’s football program since the 80s, and is ready more than ever before for the 2012 season.  In years past, Warrior faithful could listen to his play-by-play from the night before the next day on area radio and television, however this year you can hear his call around the world both online and on a free app available for iPhone and Android phone users.

Local radio station, WTNW 820 AM, which bills themselves as “Tennessee 820 WTNW” will be the flagship broadcast outlet for the Jasper team’s broadcasts this season.  WTNW is located in Jasper and broadcasts at 1,000 watts of daytime power at 820 on the AM dial.

The radio station, while off the air at game time due to their “daytime only” license requirements with the FCC, will offer the game broadcast LIVE, as it happens, via their website (www.wtnw820.com) and on the TuneIn Radio app for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry mobile devices.  More information on the TuneIn app is available in your phone’s app store or on the radio station’s website.

Steven Hasting, General Manager and co-owner of WTNW-AM said, “WTNW is a local, hometown community radio station that’s owned by people from right here in the area that live and work around you each day.”

“Our employees have kids and grandkids in our local schools, and we feel that supporting local high school football with our broadcasts is a great way to show just how much this radio station wants to be involved in the local community,” he said.

“Radio is ever-evolving, and we don’t let our ‘daytime only’ status limit our abilities at WTNW,” said Station Chief Engineer and afternoon drive personality, Logan Carmichael.

“We strive to bring the latest technology to the table for our listeners whenever possible.  With the live web stream of the broadcast, family members who live miles away can listen to the game as it happens, and with the addition of the TuneIn Radio app for mobile phones, anyone anywhere in the world can listen to the game as long as they have an adequate cellular data connection and equipped phone.  Even those in attendance to the game can listen to Dave Daffron’s call as it happens…essentially, you’ll have the game here first,” he said.

The broadcast for this week’s game against Grundy County will begin with pre-game coverage at 6:45pm CDT online at www.wtnw820.com and on the TuneIn App, with live play-by-play coverage from Dave Daffron and the Marion County Broadcast Team following kick-off at 7pm CDT.

For those who aren’t as “tech savvy” and would rather hear the game on the radio, the station will be bringing it to you the following Saturday morning at 9am local time on the radio — your first and earliest chance to hear the game on the radio in the valley.

WTNW, which has studios in the Acuff office building  in Jasper, plays a variety of classic and contemporary country music, with all-day Gospel music and religious programming on Sundays.  The station features disc jockey Jerry Nelson weekdays mornings from 6-9am, a local buy-sell-trade call-in show (Trade & Sell), hosted by Sheila Kennedy, weekdays at 9am, afternoons with Logan Carmichael, and local news from reporter Andrea Nealon.  The station also features news and reports from the Tennessee Radio Network, and is an NBC Radio News affiliate.

Local authorities have not filed charges in the June death of a 3-month-old Marion County infant, but an investigation is ongoing, prosecutors say.

District Attorney, Mike Taylor, of the 12th Judicial District, said in an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Friday that investigators are still waiting for autopsy reports on the infant, and want to meet with medical officials from Vanderbilt University Medical Center before they decide whether charges are warranted.

The father of the infant, Chris Russell, 23, remains a “person of interest” in the case, Taylor said.

Attempts to contact Russell or the baby’s mother, Leah Collins, 24, were not successful. The mother has not been named as a person of interest, officials said.

Authorities say no other children live with the couple in their Sequatchie, Tennessee home, and neither parent has a prior criminal history or child safety issues.

The couple have no other children together, although Russell is father of a toddler from another relationship. There have been “no issues” related to that child, authorities said.

Taylor said both parents initially agreed to a polygraph test but since have refused to take one. Officials said test results would be inadmissible in court but might provide helpful information.

The probe began in June after an emergency call from family members when the infant stopped breathing the afternoon of June 17th.

The child first was taken to Grandview Medical Center, stabilized, then transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. There doctors found what they characterized as “major trauma” to the baby’s brain, according to Sheriff Bo Burnett.

The baby died after the family decided to discontinue life support on June 23rd.

Marion County Detective Beth Schindel, the primary investigator on the case, said early on that medical scans and an MRI exam performed before the baby died showed he had retinal hemorrhaging and brain trauma, injuries similar to those found in cases of shaken baby syndrome.

They also found fractured ribs that were at least 10 days old, and the baby had been throwing up — a possible sign of brain injury — for a few days before he stopped breathing, the detective said.

Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press

Graham wins with 60% of the votes.

His challenger, current County Commission vice chairman and District 4 representative, Mack Reeves, only claimed 40% of the vote.

Graham was appointed to replace the County Mayor David Kirk in December 2010 after his unexpected passing. Graham was serving his 15th year as road superintendent when he was appointed to fill Kirk’s seat until the next county general election.

Graham will now face Republican candidate Gary Ellis in August in order to serve out the remaining two years of the term.