Thursday, February 21st, 2008... 6pm

We are now at 34 and things are melting quite nicely.  Overnight, temps will continue to edge slowly towards 40.  Rain is likely and even a rumble of thunder is possible.  No major problems are expected for Friday morning's commute.  I'll post again in the morning...  Thanks for all the e-mails... I appreciate so many of you checking in on my weather page.

Chris Jessie

nitehawk@scrtc.com

Thursday, February 21st, 2008... 3pm

Temps are coming up more slowly than the forecast runs indicated.  We are still at 28.  Temps in Louisville are 27 and BG is at 30.  Light rain is coming down again.... a larger patch in the Northern Barren County area.  It is making the ice already down on the roads even more slick in some cases.   Imagine holding on to an ice cube... now a wet ice cube... get the difference?  Rain = Not good.  Most of the heavier freezing rain is still well off to the north.  We'll still see the possibility of some freezing rain in the evening hours, but I still see the temps rising to above freezing.

Thursday, February 21st, 2008... 1pm

I believe we've seen the worst of the ice/freezing rain.  Temps will continue to slowly rise... even overnight.  All rain overnight and for Friday.  Problems this afternoon shouldn't be as drastic as this mornings commute.  The temps should be right at the freezing mark.  However, on the northern side of our area, the temps could still be cold enough for freezing rain to be a problem.  Friday morning really shouldn't be a problem as rain and the road treatments do their jobs.  I'll post more this afternoon late as temps continue to rise.

Thursday, February 21st, 2008... 9:30am

Freezing rain continues.... roads are impassible in some areas.  We are taking a look at temps forecasts... they are changing with lower highs now being expected.  That is not good news for the freezing rain.  We'll continue to post more.

Thursday, February 21st, 2008...  8am

DONT DRIVE TODAY IF YOU DONT HAVE TO BE ON THE ROADS... Numerous accidents are already being reported.

Freezing rain now reported in our area.... roads are getting very slick... please don't travel if you don't have to be out... rain is starting earlier than anticipated and is moving quickly from w. ky into our area.  please stay tuned to our stations for the latest info... it will be hard for me to post often here with all that is going on.

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008... 4pm

Before the weather... Congrats to NASA and the Space Shuttle Crew on a safe return from a successful mission to the international space station.  The shuttle touched down just after 8am central time this morning.  Tonight... check the total eclipse of the moon... skies should be clear enough to see at least part of the event which will begin in our part of the country at about 7:45.  The totality will last just under an hour from about 9pm to 9:50pm central time.  Should be a great view with the naked eye an amazing sight with a good set of binoculars. 

NOW... For the possibility for more winter weather...  It looks like precip in our area will begin between 1-4pm.

The questions are: How will it fall and how much will it amount to?  The maps here show the HPC ice forecast for Thursday.  Below that, you'll see the surface low forecast map...  notice the low in the upper Mississippi valley... the anticipated late Thursday position... here is the moisture pump for the system.  There is still some uncertainty as to exactly where the snow/sleet/freezing rain/rain divides will be.  Here's what today's 4pm (est) NWS advisory says...

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...

.A STRONG WEATHER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO IMPACT THE AREA BEGINNING THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO PORTIONS OF THE AREA.

THE LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS INDICATE THAT A SIGNIFICANT STORM
SYSTEM WILL AFFECT MUCH OF THE REGION MAINLY BETWEEN THURSDAY
AFTERNOON AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY START AS A LIGHT SLEET OR SNOW MIX ACROSS WEST-CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL QUICKLY CHANGE
OVER TO FREEZING RAIN BY THURSDAY EVENING. ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE
POSSIBLE MAINLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM HARTFORD...TO BARDSTOWN AND
TO WINCHESTER KENTUCKY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS
WILL BE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. LOCATIONS ACROSS SOUTH-
CENTRAL KENTUCKY WILL RECEIVE MOSTLY RAIN...THOUGH LIGHT FREEZING
RAIN IS POSSIBLE AT PRECIPITATION ONSET LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

THIS STORM SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE VERY HAZARDOUS
TRAVEL CONDITIONS THURSDAY NIGHT...MAINLY BETWEEN 7PM EST THURSDAY
NIGHT THROUGH 3AM EST FRIDAY MORNING. AGAIN...THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
WINTRY MIX WILL AFFECT SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA...NORTH-CENTRAL
KENTUCKY...AND THE NORTHERN BLUEGRASS REGION.

THERE IS STILL QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH REGARDS TO THE
LOCATION AND AMOUNT OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ICE POTENTIAL.

Keep checking back, gang... I'll make more posts when possible and needed.  Please stay tuned to WLOC/WHSX and here on the website for the latest.

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008... 2pm
Last week, Louisville and areas along the Ohio River got the snow... who will get it this week...??? It looks like a trace will be possible as we head into Wednesday morning... the bigger story is Thursday/Friday. The potential exists for a major winter storm in Central/Northern Kentucky. The NWS discussions on this are not going to change much with the exact track of the system still uncertain. However, the current HPC freezing rain forecast has us in a slight probability for at least .25 inch ice accumulation. The temps forecast for Thurs/Fri continue to waiver. I would not call it a sure shot until at least late tomorrow night. With all that said... remember that winter weather is still the most difficult forecast to accurately produce. There are so many variables that go into when, how much and what type of precip. Most of the time, forecasts more than 12 hours out will most always be changed significantly. And, most of the snow total forecasting that is accurate is only hours out... because radar is a valuable tool in seeing where snow bands move and where the lower level moisture is getting pumped in. I'm going to keep an eye on this one. Could be nothing... but, we've not had a large scale ice event here since February 1994. Most people can remember February 1987... major ice storm. Had a smaller ice coating in January 1999. We are due.

 

Thursday, February 7th, 2008...  2pm

First off... My prayers are with those who lost loved ones and for those who suffered great loss of property Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.  I am just recuperating, myself from a 6 hour broadcast of the storm.  I've not had a chance to sit down and post any of my thoughts on the events until now.  I do want to say thanks for the e-mails and calls from those of you who have let me know you appreciate me broadcasting thorough all the chaos.  I am proud to say that with the help of NWS alerts from Nashville and Louisville, we were able to give about a 15 minute advance warning to the communities of Gamaliel, Ebenezer, Tompkinsville and others in Monroe County.  As that storm came out of Macon County, Tennessee, we knew it had a history of major damage.  We were able to successfully project the path of the of the EF-3 vortex.  The second EF-3, the one that caused the damage is Allen County, was similar in nature, taking a path only about 10-15 miles north and parallel to the first tornado's path.   That storm caused the fatalities in Allen County and the tornado damage stopped just short of the Fountain Run area.  Below is the official storm report form NWS survey teams... Also take note of the radar shot from 10:30 with the tornado centered right over the Gamaliel area:

...INITIAL DAMAGE SURVEY OF TWO EF-3 TORNADOES IN SOUTHERN KENTUCKY...

ON WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 6 2008 A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM TRAVELED THROUGH PARTS OF ALLEN AND MONROE COUNTIES IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY TO VIEW THE EFFECTS OF TWO TORNADOES WHICH STRUCK THE AREA DURING THE LATE EVENING AND EARLY MORNING HOURS OF FEBRUARY 5-6. THE SURVEY REVEALED TWO EF-3 TORNADOES HAD OCCURRED...SEPARATED IN DISTANCE BY APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES...BUT IN TIME BY APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS.

THE FIRST TORNADO CROSSED INTO MONROE COUNTY KENTUCKY FROM TENNESSEE AT APPROXIMATELY 1030 PM CST 3.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF GAMALIEL. THE TORNADO RACED NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH...DESTROYING TWO MOBILE HOMES AND TWO CONVENTIONAL HOMES 2 MILES WEST OF
GAMALIEL. THIRTEEN RESIDENTS OF THE FOUR HOMES TOOK SHELTER IN THE
BASEMENT OF ONE OF THEM...AND SURVIVED UNINJURED...THOUGH THEY WERE
TRAPPED IN THE BASEMENT FOR UP TO 30 MINUTES BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE
TO DIG THEMSELVES OUT THROUGH THE RUBBLE.

THE TORNADO ALSO DAMAGED SEVERAL OTHER HOMES IN A SUBDIVISION 1
MILE NORTH OF GAMALIEL...INCLUDING TAKING THE ROOF OFF OF A BRICK
HOME...AND STRIPPING THE BRICK FROM SEVERAL OF THE WALLS. THE
TORNADO CONTINUED ON A NORTHEAST TRACK OVER RURAL
COUNTRYSIDE...PRIMARILY UPROOTING AND SNAPPING LARGE TREES IN THE
HEAVILY WOODED AREA AS IT HEADED TOWARD TOMPKINSVILLE. ON THE
NORTH SIDE OF TOMPKINSVILLE, THE TORNADO COMPLETELY DESTROYED A
LARGE WOOD-FRAME METAL WAREHOUSE AND TWISTED A LARGE STEEL-FRAMED
METAL BUILDING OFF ITS FOUNDATION AND COLLAPSING HALF THE BUILDING.

IMMEDIATELY ACROSS THE HIGHWAY FROM THE TWO INDUSTRIAL
BUILDINGS...A WELL BUILT BRICK HOME AT THE TOP OF A HILL WAS LEFT
WITH ONLY A FEW INTERIOR WALLS REMAINING AS ITS ROOF AND SIDE
WALLS WERE SWEPT AWAY. A NEARBY DETACHED 3-CAR GARAGE WAS ALSO
DESTROYED.

TORNADO DETAILS...KNOWN AT THIS TIME...

MONROE COUNTY TORNADO
PATH LENGTH: 12+ MILES
PATH WIDTH: 0.25 MILE
RATING: EF-3
MAXIMUM WIND SPEED: 160 MPH
INJURIES: NONE KNOWN
FATALITIES: NONE
START TIME: MOVED IN FROM TENNESSEE AT APPROXIMATELY 1030 PM CST
END TIME: NOT YET DETERMINED. SURVEY TEAM WILL COMPLETE TRACK THURSDAY

......................................................................


THE SECOND TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST OVER ONE-HALF MILE NORTHWEST
OF HAYESVILLE ABOUT ONE-QUARTER MILE NORTH OF THE STATE LINE. THE
TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST AT AROUND 55 MPH AND DESTROYED A MOBILE
HOME 1 MILE NORTH OF HAYESVILLE. IT ALSO HEAVILY DAMAGED A NEARBY
CONVENTIONAL HOME...DESTROYED AN OUTBUILDING AND OVERTURNED
ANOTHER NEARBY MOBILE HOME ONE-QUARTER MILE TO THE NORTH.
CONTINUING NORTHEAST...THE TORNADO WIDENED TO NEARLY ONE-HALF MILE
ACROSS AS IT DESTROYED 5 MOBILE HOMES AND 3 CONVENTIONALLY BUILT
HOMES...ALONG WITH NUMEROUS LARGE OUTBUILDINGS ALONG TRACY LANE
AND TRACY ROAD. 4 RESIDENTS WERE KILLED IN 3 SEPARATE MOBILE HOMES
IN THIS AREA AND 4 OTHERS WERE INJURED. SEVERAL HORSES AND OTHER
FARM ANIMALS WERE ALSO KILLED.

THIS TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING NORTHEAST OVER HEAVILY WOODED RURAL
AREA BEFORE WEAKENING AND DISSIPATING NEAR FOUNTAIN RUN IN
WESTERN MONROE COUNTY.

ALLEN COUNTY TORNADO
PATH LENGTH:  9 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 0.4 MILE
RATING:   EF-3
MAXIMUM WIND SPEED: 160 MPH
INJURIES: 4 KNOWN
FATALITIES: 4
START TIME: APPROXIMATELY 140 AM CST
END TIME: APPROXIMATELY 153 AM CST

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008...  8:20pm

Wow... tonight was one of the quickest storm lines I've seen in a while.  The winds have been unofficially tagged at 75+ miles an hour in some areas of South Central Kentucky.  We will see temps drop very quickly over the next 2 hours... down to freezing even.  We were at about 59 degrees before 7pm.  Some light winter precip may take place tonight... no major problems are expected.  Remember to send any damage reports to local officials and then please send them to us.  Video/Pics are also welcome... send large files to this address  991@thehoss.com ... send text only reports to our normal address: 991@scrtc.com.

Monday, January 28th, 2008... Noon

Wow... as mentioned earlier this morning... a big back and forth swing is coming over the next 24-48 hours.  Here's a Special Statement from The NWS, Louisville:

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND GUSTY WINDS EXPECTED TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

THE LATEST FORECASTS INDICATE THAT A VERY STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL
DEVELOP AND GATHER STRENGTH ACROSS THE MIDWEST TODAY. THIS STORM
SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN OHIO VALLEY LATE
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
TONIGHT AND OVERSPREAD THE REGION.

DURING THE DAY ON TUESDAY...SHOWERS ARE FORECAST TO CONTINUE
ACROSS THE REGION. AS THE STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES...SURFACE WINDS
WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20
TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF
SOUTHERN INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

A STRONG COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL PUSH
INTO WESTERN KENTUCKY EARLY TUESDAY EVENING. THIS FRONT WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE A LINE OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. WITH
STRONG WIND FIELDS ALOFT...SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY TAP INTO
THIS FAST MOVING AIR AND TRANSPORT IT TO THE SURFACE. WIND GUSTS
OF 40 TO 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE AHEAD OF THIS FRONT. AS THE FRONT
MOVES EAST...WINDS WILL QUICKLY SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST AND
CONTINUE TO BE QUITE STRONG. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH WILL BE
POSSIBLE UP TO TWO HOURS AFTER THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE AREA.

THESE GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL ALSO BRING IN MUCH COLDER AIR TO
THE REGION. SOME OF THE PRECIPITATION BEHIND THE FRONT MAY CHANGE
TO A PERIOD OF SNOW. SOME VERY MINOR ACCUMULATION MAY BE POSSIBLE.
 

Rain, heavy t-storms, snow.... Only in Kentucky, Right?   Also, on this date, we look back to the Great Flood of 1937, where 15 inches of rain fell over a 12 day period.  As much as 70% of Louisville was under water.  Click Here for the NWS page of info about the historical event.

Check out this pic... (Located On NWS Page Link)

The horse up in the tree was caught by the tree and it became stuck there as water subsided. 

Monday, January 28th, 2008... 8am

Another cold morning across the region... we recorded 21 as our low this morning.  A big turn around is on the way for 24 hours.  Today, temps will shoot into the upper 50's... and heavy rain/thunderstorms are possible Tuesday.  Gusty winds will also be with us.  It will be a quick warm up with short lived above normal temps, as we return to the 30's for a high on Wednesday.  Then, we make way for the next big system for late Thursday/Friday.  Most current GFS models show a rain event rather than snow.   I will be posting more later.

Thursday, January 24th, 2008... 3pm

It's been a while since I've made a post... sorry 'bout that.  Time is so critical here where a few people wear so many hats.  Anywho...

We started at midnight with our warmest temp at 29 (Bowling Green/Official) and at 6am, we were at 25.  After daybreak, temps continued to drop to 20 by around 9am.  Temps have held in the lower/mid 20s for the day.  We also bottomed out with the barometer at midnight... with pressure rising today.   This will take the blanket off the ground temps for tonight, as we bottom out in the mid/upper single digits around daybreak in the 6-7am hour for Friday morning.  It won't be out of the question to see an isolated reading near the 3-4 degree mark. A northerly light breeze will gradually shift to a southerly flow by late afternoon and that will set the stage for a warming trend for the weekend.

We've seen initial forecast after initial forecast for snow diminish and eventually dissipate to either rain or no moisture at all.  After today and tomorrow's cold temps, we'll see things warm back up into the weekend.  As a matter of fact, high temps on Sunday will be back into the 55 degree range.  But... not before a chance of some snow showers Friday night into Saturday morning.  Cold air will be retreating... it doesn't look like we'll see any significant moisture filtered in to get a high probability of precip.

Check out tonight's near full moon rise... about 7:20 to about 7:40 it should be huge.  Get your cameras out and send me pics!!!!  nitehawk@scrtc.com   That's my personal address... By the way... send me weather/atmospheric pictures anytime!!!  I'll post them here on my Weather discussion.

And... with all this talk about cold and snow, for those of you who can't wait 'till summer... we're making tracks to longer days and shorter nights.  The days are stretching out by about 1 minute 45 seconds of daylight each 24 hour period.  That daily margin continues increasing, too.  That should give us about another hour of daylight by the back half of February.

Snuggle up and stay by the fire tonight!!!!