WKU Meteorology

Good morning and happy Monday, readers!

Today’s Forecast

For today, we repeat yesterday’s relatively nice weather after the string of brutal cold. Highs today will push 50, with abundant sunshine. Get out there and enjoy the nice weather! Tonight, we dip back down to the lower 30s for overnight lows with mostly clear skies.

What to Watch For

There is great potential for heavy rainfall beginning early Wednesday and lasting through Thursday night. Rainfall in this two-day time frame could exceed 2-3″, causing regional concern for flooding due to saturated ground from previous snow melt. Additionally, Thursday night there is potential for the precipitation to change over to a wintry mix, with freezing rain, sleet, and snow possible. Details are still being refined on that potential, so stay tuned!

Weather Fact!

With the threat of multiple potential precipitation types this week, let’s review the differences in the types of winter precipitation.

Rain- Rain begins as frozen precipitation in the higher levels of the atmosphere, but melts as it falls with the warmer layers of the lower atmosphere. These layers and the surface have temperatures consistently above freezing to produce rain.

Freezing Rain- Same process as rain except there are freezing or below-freezing temperatures right before the surface. This leads to apparent rain falling, but freezing on contact of many surfaces, creating a glaze of ice.

Sleet- Occurs when there is some melting in the atmosphere in thicker or even numerous levels, but refreezes before it hits the surface and fall as little pellets of ice. These pellets accumulate like snow, and look similar to “Dippin’ Dots”.

Snow- No layers of the atmosphere down to the surface are warm enough to melt the initial ice crystals in the upper layers of the atmosphere, resulting in snowfall at the surface.

Alright, that’s all for today folks. Have a great week, and stay safe if there is flooding or winter weather hazards!

Good Morning,

As we all wake up on this fine Friday some of us will wake up to a dusting of snow on the ground. Scattered snow showers will stick around through the afternoon before tapering off in the evening. The combination of the northwestern wind will make for possible brief whiteout conditions, so drive safely! The accumulation is expected to only be a dusting with the temperatures staying around freezing. The weekend ahead will be a cold one so I don’t know about you, but I plan on staying in and staying warm under some blankets.

Until next time.

Bret G.

Good Afternoon,

This morning some of you may have noticed that the air was a lot more colder than it has been over the past couple days. This is due to a strong surface high that is been moving through the Lower Ohio Valley over the past couple days, This will cause daily high temperatures to drop 10-15 degrees below normal for the high today. This accompanied by winds will make the windchill values feel in the single digits or in some areas below zero, at times. Other then that there will be fair weather for most of the day setting up a classic brisk winter day. As we move into the later week temperatures will start to slowly rise which will bring temperatures slightly above average for the weekend, this is the good news for all those warm weather lovers out there! Stay safe, Bundle up, and have a great day!

Good afternoon, everyone!

On Sunday, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had our county within the slight risk for severe weather. As shown in the graphic below, wind was the primary threat of the system that moved through our region, with winds reaching over 50 knots. Moreover, two tornadoes were reported in the state of Kentucky, one in the northern part and the other in the southwestern. This was the outcome of a line of storms ahead of a cold front along a zone of enhanced low-level convergence. Values of mixed layer convective available potential energy (MLCAPE) ranged from 1000 to 1200 J/kg and 0-6 km shear peaked at 40 knots.

We hope you enjoyed today’s post! Good luck on finals!

Good morning to you, fellow reader!

On this day, in 1950, a low pressure system propagated over eastern Illinois, allowing for the rare event of a tornado-producing storm system in the month of December. The atmospheric set-up can be seen in the photo below. Illinois saw two tornadoes while Arkansas saw one tornado. Missouri, on the other hand, fell victim to a significant hail storm.

That’s all for today! If you’re a student, good luck on finals next week! If not, we hope you still have a good week!

Good evening! We hope you are doing well!

On this day, in 2000, parts of northern South Dakota and western Minnesota saw a snowstorm that produced six to twelve inches of snow. This created complications with transportation, as several accidents occurred, and cancellations of events and schools. Below is a table that shows snowfall totals for various areas across the region impacted.

That’s all for today! Have a good day!

Good evening to you!

On this day, in 1996, heavy snowfall piles onto northern South Dakota, to which added to already significant snow depth from a previous snowstorm. This snowstorm produced six to eight inches of snow across the area, paralyzing travel and cancelling events. Below is a table that shows snowfall totals across the area impacted.

That’s all for today! Thanksgiving is coming up, we hope you have a great holiday!

Good morning and happy Monday, folks!

Forecast

Yesterday’s soaker brought us .86″ of rain here in the Bowling Green area, the highest daily rainfall total so far this month (Kentucky Mesonet). Today, we’ll get the chance to dry out a bit. Temperatures are going to be cool, with highs in the low 40’s, and partly cloudy skies. With drier air and clearer skies comes a substantial shot of cold air tonight, as temperatures will plummet into the lower 20’s. Brr!

We are keeping an eye on your Turkey Day Forecast as well- stay tuned for some potential rain.

Weather Fact! (Thankful Edition)

Let’s review some past weather records for Thanksgiving Day here in Bowling Green! In 1896, the Bowling Green area saw a high of 75 degrees, making it the highest max temperature ever recorded on Thanksgiving. On two separate occasions, in 1912 and 1950, the low temperature was a mere 15 degrees. (NWS Louisville)

I’ll leave you all with a bit of a teaser: Thanksgiving night this year looks like it may not be too far off from that record low temperature!

Have a great week everyone!

Good afternoon, everyone!

On this day, in 1992, parts of northeast South Dakota and west central Minnesota saw a snowstorm that produced three to eleven inches of snow. Below is a table that shows snowfall totals across the area of interest.

That’ll do for today! Have a wonderful weekend!

Good evening, fellow readers!

On this day, in 2006, an early morning tornado tore through southeastern counties of North Carolina. This tornado was ranked a three on the Fujita Scale, to which correlates with severe damage and winds in the range of 158 to 206 miles per hour. Its path was a mile long, leaving a few dozen trees (12-18 inch diameter) snapped, a tractor flipped, and several trailer homes lifted from their foundation and broken apart. A total of twenty people were injured and eight were killed. Below is a base reflectivity loop of this storm.

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