WKU Meteorology

Good morning, folks! What a long week it’s been, or so it seems! We hope you’re doing well!

On this day, in 1912, the city of Kansas City, Kansas, fell victim to a record-breaking snowstorm. In a twenty-four-hour time period, a total of twenty-five inches of snowfall fell, to which is twice that of the previous record. In this year, the state saw sixty-seven inches of snowfall total, to which also broke the previous record. To this into perspective, the state of Kentucky has an average of eleven inches of snowfall per year, so the singular snowstorm had more than double the amount of that! Incredible!

Have a great weekend!

Good Afternoon!

Spring is finally here warmer temperatures, longer days and plants beginning to bloom these these past few days have really proven that. Over the past couple days highs have been in the upper 50’s to low 70’s Although it rained yesterday the sun is already back out today! As we head into the next couple days temperatures will dip into the mid 50’s with partly cloudy skies through the remainder of the week. The chances for rain will remain low allowing for more outdoor time to go on a walk in the park or perhaps start beginning that time of spring cleaning! Our next chance of rain will come midway through next week, so rest easy until then and enjoy the nice weather! Have a good evening and stay safe out there!

Good afternoon to you! For those of you that are students, we hope that you had a wonderful break!

Today, cloud cover has slowly but surely become overbearing ahead of a cold front extending from an incoming low pressure system. There remains a scattered likelihood for showers for the rest of the day, but these chances will become widespread into the overnight hours. Our main concern will be with the potential for gusty winds (up to 30 miles per hour) and brief, heavy rainfall that will pose a threat for localized flash flooding. If you are someone that commutes to work, be cautious on the roadways in the morning, as the accumulations of rainfall may result in slick roads and areas that are flooded.

That’s all for today! Have a great one!

Good morning, folks, and happy Monday!

Today’s Forecast

Yesterday was the official first day of spring, and today’s forecast will surely reflect that. As the cherry blossoms begin to bloom across Western Kentucky University’s campus, temperatures will soar into the lower 70s today, with mostly sunny skies. Tonight, clouds build in before a rain chance tomorrow. Temperatures drop into the lower 50s, with winds gusting between 20 and 25 mph.

What to Watch For

The week looks pretty calm overall, with only a rain chance Tuesday into Wednesday serving as a potential concern. Rainfall between 1/2″ to 1″ possible, and a few thunderstorms cannot be ruled out Tuesday afternoon into evening. At this time, only a marginal risk for severe weather exists for those thunderstorms. Stay tuned for any updates or changes with that forecast. After the rain moves out, temperatures will be cooler, but not cold.

Have a great week everyone 🙂

Happy Friday everyone! Today also marks the last day before spring break for us WKU students. As we look ahead to the weekend, many of you have already probably already noticed that the “white death” is in the forecast. We are expecting a winter storm to move through between 8pm tonight through 4am Saturday. We are also under a winter weather advisory for snow accumulations of 1-2in of snow. With the ground being so warm most of the snow is supposed to melt before noon on Saturday. Saturday we will get up to 52 degrees and enjoy sunny skies for the rest of the weekend.

Good evening to you! If you’re a student, hang on just a little longer, as spring break starts this weekend!

On this day, in 1986, a strong low pressure system swept through the Midwest, impacting the tri-state area of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. This was the start of the tornado outbreak of March 10-12, 1986. On this day alone, severe thunderstorms produced a total of 19 tornadoes; 3 of which reached F-3 on the Fujita Scale. Of the tri-state area, no lives were lost, but 20 were injured. The storms showed no mercy, as up to 900 homes were destroyed. Whilst the public may not correlate tornadoes and winter, the possibility is always there. It is important to have a safety plan for natural disasters, so if you have spare time over break, now’s your chance to make one!

Have a great spring break!

Good morning, everyone! Can you believe spring break is right around the corner? We sure can’t!

On this day, in 1972, the Thule Air Force Base in Pituffik, Greenland recorded a wind gust of 207 miles per hour with sustained winds of 146 miles per hour. Mind you, this was not associated with a tornado or hurricane, just a regular thunderstorm! In the United States of America, the highest wind gust ever recorded took place at the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, on April 12th, 1934, reaching a staggering 231 miles per hour. Isn’t that crazy?

Did you learn something new today? We hope so! Have a great week!

Good morning, folks, and happy Monday!

Today’s Forecast

All good things must come to an end, and the showers and thunderstorms this morning ended our streak of beautiful weather over the past week. As this rain moves out of the area this afternoon, much cooler air will usher in behind it. Temperatures in the 60s this morning will crash into the mid 40s by this evening as that cool air moves in, while clouds linger. For tonight, clouds remain with temperatures falling into the mid-to-lower 30s.

What to Watch For

Today’s weather does a sufficient job at summarizing the forecast for the rest of the week. Additional rain chances are in the forecast for Tuesday night into Wednesday, and for your Friday and Friday night. The precipitation chance into Friday night even has the potential to end as some winter weather, so stay tuned for that forecast as it develops.

Weather Fact!

On this day, in 1717, “The Great Snow” fell across the Eastern United States. This event was comprised of four winter storms that impacted the region over a nine-day period. Snow depths averaged five feet following the event! There were even snow drifts as high as 25 feet reported around Dorchester, MS. (NWS)

Stay tuned, stay dry, and have a great week everyone 🙂

Happy March everyone and it already feels like spring! This week we had a few nice days of 70 degrees and I hope you were able to get out and enjoy them. Going through the rest of the weekend we can expect wind gusts up to 40mph through the night into Sunday morning. Sunday we expect to see scattered thunderstorms with a chance of severe weather. The is a great chance of mirror flooding with the expected rain totals around 2in.

So enjoy the sun while you can because April showers are coming early.

Good evening to you! Aren’t you loving this weather? We are, too!

Tomorrow, that trend of plentiful sunshine and dry weather is to persist. We can thank high pressure in our region of the country for that. Clear skies will allow for temperatures to soar into the low 70’s, accompanied with a gentle breeze. We will only cool off to the upper 50’s by night, calling for perfect bonfire conditions. If you don’t have plans to get outdoors yet, we encourage you to! Not sure what to do? Check out local parks to hike, picnic, or sunbathe!

Have a great weekend!