Good Thursday, folks. It’s a busy day of weather across the Commonwealth as another massive storm system impacts the region. High winds, heavy rain and a few thunderstorms show up later today through early Friday morning.
Watch how the NAM brings a December version of a squall line across the state…
Here’s a breakdown of how things look to play out:
High winds are the main threat through early Friday. Gusts may reach 50mph or greater in a few spots.
Some wind damage is possible, especially with uprooted trees because of such a wet ground.
Showers and a few storms increase from west to east this afternoon through the evening. I can’t rule out a strong storm or two.
Heavy rains show up for some areas, with the potential for local high water issues. The greatest threat is across the southeast.
Rains end from west to east on Friday as cold air surges back in during the evening.
Let’s look ahead to the closing days of 2018 because we have even more action on the way. A weak system throws some light rain or a mix at us Saturday night and Sunday, with a much bigger system quickly moving in for New Year’s Eve.
That system keeps trending stronger and stronger and that’s bad news for our region. I said a few days ago we had better hope this system gives us some winter weather because we don’t need it to bundle into a big storm that brings more heavy rain. In true 2018 fashion, this system is poised to send the wettest year on record out with a bang with a potential flood event.
Cold air will then crash in behind that system with a third storm likely to make a comeback to the west on the models by Wednesday or Thursday.
Canadian
GFS
That’s a lot of cold air pouring in as that Wednesday system likely shows up farther west as we get closer.
Let’s get back to the New Year’s Eve flood threat. You can see both models above showing a lot of rain in our region and that’s backed up by the European Model…
It is very possible for some parts of the state to pick up more than 4″ of rain between now and the time the ball drops for 2019.
The parallels to late December 1977/early January 1978 and December 1978/early January 1979 are pretty striking.
I have you all set to track this massive storm across the country and here in the bluegrass state. I’ll start with the exclusive interactive radar. This allows you to go to street level in any part of the country and includes real time weather information, watches and warnings, storm tracks and live feeds from storm chasers. You can watch the live streams from the snowstorm in the plains or the severe weather in the south… Or both…
Current watches
Possible watch areas
I will drop by for updates later today. Make it a good one and take care.
21 Comments
Terry on December 27, 2018 at 4:53 am
Flash Flood watch for some of us in SE KY for this event! I would think the whole state might get a watch for Monday as we will be extremely saturated by then. It appears the subjet is going to pound us into proverbial wet ground next week…lol
MikeS… you might hit Louisville’s wettest year and then some before Tuesday. Harlan mesonet may make a run at 90 inches with several locations topping 70 inches to near 80 inches!!! WOW
Is all that we talk about is rain?….I read my own comments and get bored. I guess I am making you all suffer too:)
StormTrackerWV on December 27, 2018 at 10:15 am
Not bored, very interesting Terry, I appreciate your posts! 🙂
Terry on December 27, 2018 at 11:25 am
Thanks. I appreciate your kindness. I like sharing ideas and reading other people’s thoughts on here too!
Local Mets here don’t think we will make the mark with this system, but a system on New Year’s eve might just do it. And I was also thinking that Black Mtn Mesonet might make a run at 90″.
Terry on December 27, 2018 at 11:33 am
Coming down to the wire for Louisville but I think you will beat 2011 at the last minute, if you don’t with this system. It really depends on how fast the line with this system moves through your area as t-storms could give you over an inch pretty quick but farther south storms may also steal the energy in KY. It looks like the breaks go on for SE KY tomorrow with a longer duration of heavy rain down my way.
Troy on December 27, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Get your boat ready Terry!
Jimbo on December 27, 2018 at 6:44 am
A runaway rain train. The odd thing about the Winter like systems is they are always a week away. But as we get closer they remain a week away. A moving target, I suppose.
Bjenks on December 27, 2018 at 8:25 am
Hhhmmm. I do believe in 77/78 the Ohio river froze….and 78/79 Louisville’s first and only blizzard we were out of school for almost a month straight.
BubbaG on December 27, 2018 at 8:53 am
Yep. Then we got a LOT of snow, below zero temps and we got, then was out of school for a few weeks- no kidding. Then an epic flood in the spring when thawed out.
Seems this though is mainly cold rain and back end snow scraps…. am I missing something?
BengalFan on December 27, 2018 at 9:03 am
Who knows what future holds…but big rain keeps on coming and cold is staying away for now. I think it’s going to be hard to break this pattern!
Jimbo on December 27, 2018 at 12:05 pm
This Winter has a long way to go to even be mentioned in the same breath as 77 and 78. Those were benchmark Winters in my area. I remember the first accumulating snow in 77 was shortly after Halloween and it kept rolling on thru February. This Winter has a lot of ground to make up. And with each snow event always being a week away. It doesn’t bode well. Another bad sign this year is there has been little lake effect snow.
The Blizzard of 1978 – Rodger was 11 at the time – was a once in a lifetime event for us. Rodger’s mighty disappointed in this winter so far! Who remembers when Christmas week was going to be snowy and cold? That was predicted three weeks ago. It’s simply fool’s gold to believe the models more than 3-4 days out in the winter. Rodger in Dodger
Jeff Hamlin on December 27, 2018 at 11:54 am
Winter is not 7 days old yet…..
Troy on December 27, 2018 at 12:07 pm
While the winter solstice might be only 7 days old, Meteorological winter started December1st.
Dr Wx on December 27, 2018 at 11:27 am
Ahh yes and I have to agree, the winters of 77/78 were once in a life time events up to this point. I was 15 in 77 and remember the day they announced that Fayette county schools would be closed untill further notice due to the cold and freezing pipes and extreme cold. Then in 78 the mother of snow events. The blizzard of Jan 26. ( the first time a blizzard warning had ever been issued for louisville. ) i remember we went to school only 1 day in January!. Those weather events sparked my interest in meteorology and lead to my career in meteorology in the military and then working for the government for 30 years. Dont give up i beleive ol mother nature still has some tricks up her sleeve for the winter!
Debbie on December 27, 2018 at 11:36 am
Oh, I’m not losing hope that we will see something relatively huge as far as winter wx goes! We still have plenty of winter yet to go, and as most of us “older” poster’s know, the majority of major storms usually hit in Jan-Feb(sometimes March).
Coffeelady on December 27, 2018 at 11:39 am
Thanks Chris. Heading north this weekend Hope the weather cooperates enough to get there and back home. Guess we will see.
BF on December 27, 2018 at 12:11 pm
I just had to do a captcha security check to prove I wasn’t a bot before entering the site. Has anyone else had to do this? I’ve never had to do that before.
Flash Flood watch for some of us in SE KY for this event! I would think the whole state might get a watch for Monday as we will be extremely saturated by then. It appears the subjet is going to pound us into proverbial wet ground next week…lol
MikeS… you might hit Louisville’s wettest year and then some before Tuesday. Harlan mesonet may make a run at 90 inches with several locations topping 70 inches to near 80 inches!!! WOW
Is all that we talk about is rain?….I read my own comments and get bored. I guess I am making you all suffer too:)
Not bored, very interesting Terry, I appreciate your posts! 🙂
Thanks. I appreciate your kindness. I like sharing ideas and reading other people’s thoughts on here too!
Local Mets here don’t think we will make the mark with this system, but a system on New Year’s eve might just do it.
And I was also thinking that Black Mtn Mesonet might make a run at 90″.
Coming down to the wire for Louisville but I think you will beat 2011 at the last minute, if you don’t with this system. It really depends on how fast the line with this system moves through your area as t-storms could give you over an inch pretty quick but farther south storms may also steal the energy in KY. It looks like the breaks go on for SE KY tomorrow with a longer duration of heavy rain down my way.
Get your boat ready Terry!
A runaway rain train. The odd thing about the Winter like systems is they are always a week away. But as we get closer they remain a week away. A moving target, I suppose.
Hhhmmm. I do believe in 77/78 the Ohio river froze….and 78/79 Louisville’s first and only blizzard we were out of school for almost a month straight.
Yep. Then we got a LOT of snow, below zero temps and we got, then was out of school for a few weeks- no kidding. Then an epic flood in the spring when thawed out.
Seems this though is mainly cold rain and back end snow scraps…. am I missing something?
Who knows what future holds…but big rain keeps on coming and cold is staying away for now.
I think it’s going to be hard to break this pattern!
This Winter has a long way to go to even be mentioned in the same breath as 77 and 78. Those were benchmark Winters in my area. I remember the first accumulating snow in 77 was shortly after Halloween and it kept rolling on thru February. This Winter has a lot of ground to make up. And with each snow event always being a week away. It doesn’t bode well. Another bad sign this year is there has been little lake effect snow.
Yes your right Bjenks. As a 17 year old teenager at the time it was a experience of a lifetime.
Got to remember Chris predict a wind driving snow storm in his winter outlook back in November.
Not 2018
The Blizzard of 1978 – Rodger was 11 at the time – was a once in a lifetime event for us. Rodger’s mighty disappointed in this winter so far! Who remembers when Christmas week was going to be snowy and cold? That was predicted three weeks ago. It’s simply fool’s gold to believe the models more than 3-4 days out in the winter. Rodger in Dodger
Winter is not 7 days old yet…..
While the winter solstice might be only 7 days old, Meteorological winter started December1st.
Ahh yes and I have to agree, the winters of 77/78 were once in a life time events up to this point. I was 15 in 77 and remember the day they announced that Fayette county schools would be closed untill further notice due to the cold and freezing pipes and extreme cold. Then in 78 the mother of snow events. The blizzard of Jan 26. ( the first time a blizzard warning had ever been issued for louisville. ) i remember we went to school only 1 day in January!. Those weather events sparked my interest in meteorology and lead to my career in meteorology in the military and then working for the government for 30 years. Dont give up i beleive ol mother nature still has some tricks up her sleeve for the winter!
Oh, I’m not losing hope that we will see something relatively huge as far as winter wx goes! We still have plenty of winter yet to go, and as most of us “older” poster’s know, the majority of major storms usually hit in Jan-Feb(sometimes March).
Thanks Chris. Heading north this weekend Hope the weather cooperates enough to get there and back home. Guess we will see.
I just had to do a captcha security check to prove I wasn’t a bot before entering the site. Has anyone else had to do this? I’ve never had to do that before.