Good Friday, folks. It’s another day of tracking heavy rain producing showers and thunderstorms across the bluegrass state, leading to more high water issues. As we get deeper into the weekend, the flood threat actually increases as the severe weather potential joins the party.
The flood threat remains the same through Saturday night, so there really isn’t much more to add to what has already been said on here for the past few weeks. The severe potential later Saturday into Saturday night continues to get my attention…
Damaging winds are the main severe weather threat. Those storms will also be flood and flash flood producers across most of Kentucky.
We turn the faucet off for a bit starting Sunday, but I’m a littler worried about one more wave of low pressure bringing rain to the southeast on Monday.
Heavy rain and strong storms look to make a big comeback into play by Wednesday…
That may lead to another round of high water, before a more winter-like pattern settles in for the first few weeks of March.
Before we get to all that, we have to focus on the flooding threat from the current setup.
River flooding will continue to become a bigger and bigger deal in the coming days. A FLOOD WARNING is out for the Ohio River, with the potential for some historic crests. Here’s a look…
As usual, the blog is set for you to do some tracking…
Hamburg Area from WKYT Studio
Lexington
Fifth Third Pavilion Live Cam
Downtown Lexington
I-75 @ Newtown Pike
Lexington
US 60 @ US 127
Frankfort
Winchester
I-275 approaching KY 20/Airport
Near Covington
I-71/I-75 at Buttermilk Pike
Near Covington
Louisville
Bardstown
I-64 at KY-801
Near Morehead
Natcher Parkway MP 5
Near Bowling Green
US 41A Gate 5 Fort Campbell Entrance
Fort Campbell
I-24 MP 4 @ US 60
Paducah
I will have updates later today, so check back in. Have a great Friday and take care.
Thanks, Chris! Please stay safe everyone, as there have already been too many motorists deliberately driving into floodwaters. Including the car that is now at the bottom of the cold swollen Trinity River near Dallas TX. Sadly, this looks to be a recovery not rescue mission 🙁 .
BTW, Tennessee Severe Weather Awareness Week is from Feb 25 to March 3.
http://www.weather.gov/ohx/swaw2018
Kentucky’s Severe Wx Awareness Week will be March 1-7.
So glad SE Kentucky got spared this week. Very little rain has fallen in this area of the state. We needed to dry out a little and we have.
You can thank the southeast ridge for that.
If you honestly believe the SE Ridge is for fair weather purposes or acts as a moisture sponge, try explaining that to residents of western Kentucky or at my location a few miles from the Ohio river near Louisville who have seen 3-4″ since Wednesday. You see, that same SE Ridge you glorify is helping pump moisture repeatedly over areas that are already water-logged here. But, yes I’m glad for residents of SE Kentucky. If this would have set up over there, it would have been a catastrophe.
If you would take the time and look at the current radar the moisture is riding around the western edge of the high pressure to our east and flooding the flood prong areas of the Ohio Valley. This is the strongest and most persistent anticyclonic system that has move into a position that meteorologist would normally see in the late spring. It is acting as a block and that is the reason rainfall has not move into the southeastern areas of the state.
As long as you remember the SE Ridge is not the savior here. In fact, it will make it worse with severe weather being introduced. The westerlies will eventually prevail, but hopefully the heavy rain ALL will experience by this weekend will be more progressive rather than nearly stationary.
Lets all hope that the high pressure ridge in the southeast will keep the heaviest rain to a minimum along with the severe weather threat for late Saturday into next week. I’m kind of wondering now if we will have a second winter during March or April ? If it occurs in April, forget about having a peach and apple crop later this summer.
I don’t know how I could have a second Winter in March/April, when I didn’t have a first Winter. But I know what you mean.
#TeamSpring
Been more like TeamSummer here lately. Impressive a warm stretch as I’ve ever seen in February.
And it looks like were going back to Teamwinter in March. Crazy!
I hope that winter returns in late February and extends into late March, and hopefully into the first half of April to keep the plant life dormant for the folks who are in the orchard business. For this to happen the NAO and the AO will have to go extremely negative before it’s too late.
It is about too late here in SE KY as the trees are beginning to bloom. I foresee an agricultural threat looming soon!
I agree, it’s the same in my part of WV. The blooms and buds look to keep appearing, especially here with another week of temps at least 20 degrees above normal.
I’m updating rain totals now. Near Mayfield in western Kentucky, over 6.3″ has now fallen since Wednesday as of 10 a.m. est. Louisville is closing in on 4″.
That is impressive and a bit scary considering that another low looks to wrap up tomorrow with another round of rain and t-storms, especially for the western half of the state. You all will likely join me in Harlan and reach the ‘double digits club’ for the month of February