By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Forecaster with the National Weather Service are warning of q potential outbreak of severe weather is possible late Wednesday night and especially during the day today.
During a conference call Wednesday afternoon, Brian Schoettmer, a lead forecaster with the NWS office in Louisville, said all forms of severe weather are on the table, but the main threats are damaging winds and hail, although a few tornadoes are also possible.
While most of Kentucky has at least a slight risk for Thursday, the central part of the state is under an enhanced risk for severe weather, which is considered level 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. Schoettmer says there will be two waves of severe weather involved, with one overnight moving from south to north across Kentucky, which will primarily affect western and southern Kentucky. After a lull, a second stronger wave on Thursday, moving west to east, is the one causing the enhanced risk, which he says will last until dark along the I-75 corridor and points east.
“Nothing good ever comes from 70-degree temperatures and dewpoints in the 60s during Standard Time,” he noted. “The warmth and instability out ahead of a strong cold front that’s coming later on Thursday, means we’re going to have to pay the price for that.”
Schoettmer says a surface low moving from the Southern Plains to the St. Louis area by sunrise Thursday, then track north through Indiana. “That is not a great surface low track for this area. That causes problems usually when we see something like that during this time of year.”
He says recent data has indicated a possible enhancement in rainfall totals, especially in southern Kentucky and the Lake Cumberland area, where there could be 2-3 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts possible. Some of the rivers that have a chance of reaching minor flood stage include the Green River and the Cumberland River at Burkesville.
The strong cold front means temperatures will drop from the mid to upper 60s on Thursday, to the lower 30s by daybreak on Friday. Expect a little rebound in temperatures during the day on Saturday and especially Sunday.
