Clouds and showers will dominate the midweek period

One of the characteristics of an active weather pattern can be a dearth of sunshine as systems regularly roll across the country. Today - Wednesday - is an example, as clouds and a few intermittent showers replace the blustery and chilly sunshine of the past couple of days. The dry air in place at the surface is inhibiting most of the rain showing on radar, as the raindrops are evaporating before reaching the ground.

Counteracting the lack of the sun's warmth, southwesterly winds ahead of the next cold front are pumping warmer air into the area. This will enable temperatures to rise from morning lows in the mid-30s to afternoon highs in the mid- and upper 50s. By late afternoon the clouds should part enough to perhaps provide a colorful sunset (occurring at 6:04 p.m. in Clarksville).

Thursday will then be wet all day long. A low pressure center will form along the cold front as that boundary stalls just south of the state line. The moisture associated with this storm will arrive as all rain, with up to an inch of liquid expected:

Thursday morning temperatures will begin in the mid-40s. Depending on exactly where that cold front settles, there is some uncertainty as to how far local thermometers will rise tomorrow afternoon. The official forecast is for a high in the upper 50s, but that could be optimistic. Expect Thursday's high temperature to be closer to the 50º mark.

After a mostly cloudy Friday the weekend then looks to feature sunshine and daily highs in the 60s. That's the good news. The less-than-good-news is that more chilly air is on the way for the first half of next week.