Good Wednesday to one and all. We have a split personality day taking shape across the bluegrass state. Rainy morning will slowly give way to partly sunny skies and much milder temps this afternoon. This is ahead of a setup that can challenge all time February high temps over the next few days, and give us some big storms.
Showers will be likely out there this morning across the central and east, with slow clearing during the afternoon. Temps will be 70 in the west and near 60 in the far southeast, where the clouds linger longer…
Temperatures on Thursday will rise into the low and middle 70s with a mix of sun and clouds. There is a very small chance for a shower or storm going up.
All-time monthly high temps may be threatened on Friday. If we take Lexington as the focal point, 80 is the all time high from February 23, 1996. Highs on Friday should range from 75-80 degrees. That, my friends, is pretty darn awesome.
This warm air is ahead of a powerhouse of a cold front moving in Friday evening. This may produce a squall line of strong to severe thunderstorms racing from west to east…
Much colder air crashes in behind that with temps dropping into the upper 30s and low 40s for a time on Saturday. The GFS keeps showing a few snowflakes…
A warm front will then lift northward across the region on Monday and that will touch off showers and thunderstorms…
This will introduce another surge of very warm air that leads us into another potent storm system. This one could bring very heavy rain and strong storms our way by the middle of next week…
Colder would follow that, with another warm up and storm likely a few days later.
As I’ve been saying, this is a very active pattern that will put down a lot of precipitation across our region in the coming weeks.
I will have another update later today. Make it a great day and take care.
Thanks Chris!
As CB touched on, Friday has a shot for some strong or even severe t-storms in our area. At this time, it appears that strong damaging winds will be the severe threat with the highest chances, although an isolated tornado or two may still be possible.
Next week is Tennessee Severe Weather Awareness Week (February 26 – March 4, 2017), but now is a good time to review tornado safety as well as keeping safe from lightning, flash floods, severe t-storm winds, etc. All this and other information is in the following link about Tennessee Severe Weather Awareness Week:
http://www.weather.gov/ohx/swaw2017
Kentucky will have its Severe Weather Awareness Week the following week (March 1-7, 2017).
February 28 will mark six years since an EF3 tornado hit the Henry County town of Eminence KY. Fortunately there was no loss of life, but this particular twister still conveys important lessons in having reliable indoor wx alert radios (and other early warning devices, indeed it’s good to have multiple redundant ways to get warnings).
This twister was a so-called “squall line” tornado which can often have less warning time than the less common but potentially more violent supercell tornado. The Skywarn instructor I had a few years ago (a meteorologist from NWS Louisville) told my storm spotter c*l*a*s*s about the Feb 28 2011 Eminence tornado, including special mention of a husband-wife couple that had their weather alert alarm go off at about 5am. They scrambled out of their bed and barely got to their basement just before most of the house above them disappeared. But they survived without any injuries. However, a family in another home only woke up when they heard the tremendous roar of the tornado. They were lucky, as the teen son and his parents managed to dive under heavy furniture and escaped serious injury while their home was destroyed.
Please make sure now that you can get early warnings from one or more indoor devices. This is especially important during the night hours when you may be asleep and/or it’s too dark/rainy to see any danger.
Not much mention of any really chance of snow. Looks like we get into March with not even a “decent” miss of much more than an ankle biter. This is the first time I can ever remember having a year like this. We went through a stretch of missing a bunch of week away storms but those didn’t even show up this year. Bring spring.
More of a chance of the Bengals winning the Superbowl this year. A lot more.
Winning it any year. Everyday their bungling.
Chris, I agree with your prediction 100%. Thanks for keeping us informed about the up coming weather event. At this time it looks dangerous, so we must all be prepared for the worse. Check out March 1st and second a lot of cold air aloft, could be interesting with this system. Have a great day!
I think “front loaded spring” should have been the call a couple of months ago LOL
spring is here, folks!! severe weather is now the focus of the blog vs snow.
I told you guys in early January that February would be very warm with 70 and 80 degree weather. I was just about kicked off of here for that opinion. Now I’m saying that mid March will be record cold and snow as well as early April.
Have to admit that you were completely correct then. Time will tell if you are correct about March/April…
I agree, I put a fork in it even before then, and people acted like I was somehow direspecting the blog LOL. I disagree with late snowfall though, its over, maybe a dusting or two, and quickly gone….MAYBE
Humility is not your strong suit.
Nothing to do with humility Hamlin, just stating a fact. Enjoy your spring Hamlin, its here!!!
Actually, it has PLENTY to do with humility. He displayed a consistently arrogant and contrarian attitude and continues to do so.
Why so serious Hamlin? its a weather blog for cryin out loud. Enjoy it. Weather is meant to be fun LOL
Take your own advice instead of cackling like EF5.
I think it time to bury the hatch. No body is right all the time. We need to get along. Will Rogers said he never met a man he didn’t like. Set a good example.
Hatchet not hatch.
The EF5 has spoken…show some respect plebeian!
How about you get bent.
Hamlin, talking about being contrary and arrogant. For weeks now when someone has posted something along the lines of “Bring on spring”
or “I’m ready for spring” you have consistently replied remarks such as
“Wishing will not bring it any sooner”.
As right as you may be, lighten up a little. Enjoy the beautiful spring like days in the winter as they come!
False comment and poor comparison.
Yes yes, you’re a ‘courageous’ apple who predicted ridiculous weather in a world where we have ridiculous weather as our norm. Congrats on being the new Oracle at Delphi who still marvels at how their broken clock always seems to be right twice a day.
LD has won the Interwebs forever.
February showers bring March flowers!
Just stop trying. It’s time to let it go.
http://media.makeameme.org/created/backloaded-winter-its-rxfzdr.jpg
Thanks Chris. I am afraid we will pay for this, and as you are talking about severe storms on Friday night and Saturday, that sounds like part of the pay back for this nice weather. I’d rather see some cold but I think I am out of luck. Anyway, enjoy it I guess. Have a good afternoon and evening all