AccuWeather says weather could be a headache this summer

TENNESSEE VALLEY – AccuWeather released their summer forecast this week and it would seem the Tennessee Valley will have more than COVID-19 to contend with in the upcoming months.

AccuWeather’s long-range forecast team, led by veteran meteorologist Paul Pastelok, provided an early look at what weather trends can be expected all around the nation this summer.

The team said the South, including the Tennessee Valley can expect frequent heavy thunderstorms into the middle of the season. Large hurricanes are also expected, especially along the Gulf Coast.

“The risk this year is the Gulf of Mexico. Everything that we look at — past years, modeling, you name it — suggests that the Gulf Coast is going to be active,” Pastelok said. This year, forecasters are expecting above-normal tropical activity with seven to nine hurricanes, two to four of which are predicted to strengthen into major hurricanes.

Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather’s top hurricane expert, said the risk area for early development could extend farther, but the Gulf Coast is a primary area of concern earlier in the season.

“The U.S. Gulf Coast, all of Florida and the Georgia to Carolina coast, has the highest chance of being impacted directly by tropical activity this season,” Kottlowski said, stressing that areas from the Louisiana coastline eastward to the Florida Panhandle face a higher likelihood than normal to experience an early-season hit.

Even outside of tropical threats, more rain is anticipated for the Tennessee Valley, which can lead to further delays for farmers, Pastelok warned. Flash flooding could also lead to crop damage and losses, and cotton could take a hit if heavy rain persists through May ahead of a wet summer.

To read the AccuWeather full summer forecast, click here.