Severe weather will heavy rainfall is forecast for Middle Tennessee Monday and Monday night with a chance of hail, thunderstorms and possibly tornado activity.

A cold front dropping down from the northwest will create the chance of severe weather developments as it collides with the warm, moist air mass that has prevailed over Middle Tennessee the last two days.

The complete forwarcast from the National Weather Service:

A POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT LIKELY
MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...

THE COMBINATION OF STRONG GUSTY SOUTH WINDS...LOW HUMIDITIES
AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL LEAD TO A DANGEROUS FIRE
WEATHER SITUATION THIS AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS SHOULD ADHERE
CLOSELY TO GUIDELINES FROM STATE FORESTRY AUTHORITIES AND
DELAY ANY BURNING. WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL REACH 20 TO 25 MPH
WITH GUSTS TO 35 TO 40 MPH. ANYONE OPERATING HIGH PROFILE EQUIPMENT
SHOULD TAKE PRECAUTIONS.

A STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON
MONDAY. AHEAD OF THIS COLD FRONT...AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES
WILL WARM TO NEAR 80 DEGREES AT MOST LOCATIONS WITH A MOIST AND
INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE...BY MONDAY
AFTERNOON.

ALSO...SURFACE AND LOW LEVEL WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE VERY STRONG.
THIS WEATHER PATTERN WILL SET THE STAGE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE MID STATE. THIS EVENT WILL LIKELY HAVE A
LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUPERCELLS FORMING AHEAD THE LINE. ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT
DEVELOP MAY HAVE DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND A FEW TORNADOES
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

ALONG WITH THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE
WITH THIS EVENT. OUR EXPERTS ESTIMATE AROUND 2 INCHES OF RAIN WILL
FALL OVER THE AREA ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. LOCALIZED AMOUNTS
AROUND THREE INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.

RESIDENTS SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES.