Back in early August I posted here that August 2007 could potentially break all-time heat records (dating back over 100 years) in the Mid-South. And with only eight days to go in the month, it is certain that the all-times records will not just be broken but smashed in many locations. Continue reading
This drought showed two signs this week that things in the mid-south are going to get much worse before they get better. Continue reading
I am feeling pretty comfortable with my thoughts from yesterday regarding widespread showers/thunderstorms in the Mid-South for the Sunday-Wednesday period. Continue reading
The Mid-South remains on pace to break all-time records for August heat as we can expect another week of high temperatures near 100. Rain chances this week are minimal although KY could receive some rain as the ridge retreats to the west and Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS) follow the ridge into the Mid-Atlantic. However, I do think our rain chances improve after the 20th as hurricane season gets going. Continue reading
The August heat records are final! Read on for the details. Continue reading
A number of factors lead me to believe that August 2007 may go down as one of the all-time warmest and driest Augusts across the Mid-South. Continue reading
Back in my summer forecast, I predicted that the pattern for Summer 2007 would consist of ridges over the Southwest and Southeast and a primary storm track along the U.S.-Canadian border. As I mentioned in my mid-summer update, from a synoptic standpoint I wasn’t far off except for one small detail. I did not predict the pesky upper-level low that got trapped between the ridges that led to the flooding across the southern Plains during June and early July. Now that the upper level low has been swept away by the cold fronts of late July, the race to 100 is on! Continue reading
Back in late July the Climate Prediction Center made a fall drought forecast that suggest slight improvement for the Mid-South (Improving drought outlook for the Mid-South). Unfortunately, the most recent update to that forecast looks bleak. Continue reading
In Kentucky, for July to be cooler than normal, there typically has to be a trough over the eastern United States that leads to several cold frontal passages that bring refreshing relief from the typical tropical air mass that resides over the Mid-South during summer. Since cold frontal thunderstorms often have better spatial coverage than convectively produced air mass thunderstorms, it is common for a cooler than normal July to also have normal to above normal precipitation. Not in 2007. Continue reading
The Weather and Climate Forums is a new way for citizens of Kentucky to communicate drought impacts that may affect agriculture, business and industry, the environment, and social and recreational activities. The website can be found at http://forums.kymesonet.org/ and is organized by the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University and the Kentucky Mesonet, a high-density, network of automated environmental monitoring stations currently being developed across the commonwealth. Examples of recent postings are a fish kill reported in an impoundment along route 460 in Franklin County due to low lake levels and warm water.
If you are interested in contributing, please go to http://forums.kymesonet.org/ to register.