Hottest Days Ahead
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 · 11:56 AM
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Lyrics
A Heat Advisory is in effect for areas west of the Cumberland Plateau through at least Friday night. Major to extreme heat risk this week with heat index values in the triple digits. Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be the hottest days of the week. Very low rain chances through midweek. Well, looky here, child, early fall in the Tennessee Valley, Got a stout five hundred ninety-six decameter ridge overhead. Sitting right at five hundred millibars, trapping moisture in the alley, Not a drop of rain in sight, just like the forecaster said! Ah ha! We collaborated west to the Lower Mississippi River shore, Starting eleven A.M. Wednesday, we are knocking on the furnace door! Whoa! Turn up the pressure, turn up the heat! We got a triple digit party tearing down the street! Yeah, wrap yourself in humidity, step right up and play, Get ready for the spectacle, these are the hottest days ahead! Nashville sitting on a fifty percent chance for one hundred degrees, On a blistering Thursday afternoon, darling, if you please! Heat index values popping up above one hundred five, That upper level ridge is keeping this whole wild party alive! Maybe a little northwest flow on the weekend break, But next week eighty to ninety percent chance we're gonna bake! Whoa! Turn up the pressure, turn up the heat! We got a triple digit party tearing down the street! Yeah, wrap yourself in humidity, step right up and play, Get ready for the spectacle, these are the hottest days ahead! Whoa! Turn up the pressure, turn up the heat! We got a triple digit party tearing down the street! Yeah, wrap yourself in humidity, step right up and play, Get ready for the spectacle, these are the hottest days ahead! Yeah! Hottest days ahead! Five hundred ninety-six decameters of pure golden sun! Don't look for rain, baby, we've only just begun! Whoa! Hottest days ahead!
The forecast discussion
NEW SHORT TERM, LONG TERM
KEY MESSAGES
Updated at 1153 AM CDT Tue Sep 1 2026
- A Heat Advisory is in effect for areas west of the Cumberland Plateau through at least Friday night.
- Major to extreme heat risk this week with heat index values in the triple digits.
Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be the hottest days of the week.
- Very low rain chances through midweek.
SHORT TERM
(Rest of today through Wednesday) Issued at 1153 AM CDT Tue Sep 1 2026
Middle TN is in the midst of an early fall heatwave, as evidenced by this morning's upper air flights.
A stout 596 dam ridge at 500 mb is centered over the TN Valley, trapping hot, moist air underneath it. These patterns are notoriously difficult to break up in the absence of a progressive synoptic pattern, much like we are seeing this week.
After collaborating with neighboring offices, a large Heat Advisory covers much of the Lower MS River and TN River Valleys starting at 11AM Wednesday.
Almost all of Middle TN (minus the Plateau) is included and can expect widespread heat indices above 105 degrees.
LONG TERM
(Wednesday Night through next Tuesday) Issued at 1153 AM CDT Tue Sep 1 2026
Expect progressively hotter conditions each day this week, especially on Thursday.
There is a medium chance (50%) Nashville's temperature could reach 100 degrees on Thursday afternoon.
As such, this Heat Advisory continues through Friday evening.
The Cumberland Plateau is currently not included but will keep an eye on heat index observations each day and make expansions as needed.
Long range ensemble forecasts suggest this upper level ridge will retrograde back over to the Central Plains some time over the weekend, providing us with a little relief in the form of northwest flow aloft.
This is only a brief intermission from oppressive heat, as this same ridging pattern sets right back in mid next week.
We're looking at a high chance (80-90%) of above average temperatures through the end of next week for all of Middle TN.