WKU Meteorology

On this day, in 2002, our country was in the midst of a tornado outbreak that took place over the span of November 9th through the 11th. However, the 10th was the most active day, having produced more than sixty tornadoes, of the eighty-three total confirmed overall, with intensities ranging from EF0 to EF4. This event cost $160 million total in damages across the Midwest and took the lives of thirty-six people, injuring over two hundred and forty.

Below is a map showing the cluster of tornadoes that occurred on the outbreak’s most active day, the 10th.

Expect clear skies and dry conditions for the start of your work week! Temperatures will reach a high of 78F and a low of 60F, keeping you mild for the majority of your day. The south central KY region is still predominantly under a high pressure system for today. Temperatures are expected to reach a record high too. Definitely take advantage of this as a frontal system will make its way towards the Bowling Green area by Tuesday, with a 50% chance of rain by your late afternoon hours. Temperatures will stay mild according to long range forecast models even as we approach Thanksgiving, so stay tuned as we keep you updated!

Stay safe and a wonderful start to your work week!

Get ready for a weekend filled with mild temperatures as a high pressure system dominates most of the South Central Kentucky region! This system is expected to keep those clear skies and warm temperatures around for today and the rest of the weekend! The high for today is 71F and the low is 46F, with dry conditions and sunny skies. Light winds will be out of the southeast which will give us a warm breeze throughout the day. Copy and paste the same conditions for the weekend, with a high of 74F and a low of 54F on Saturday. Sunday will be a little warmer, with a high of 76F and a low of 57F. Overall, definitely bring a light sweater with you on your nightly commute, but prepare for warm temperatures to settle in during the day.

No rain chances on radar until mid-next week! Enjoy your weekend and stay safe.

On this day, in 1894, the New England region of the country suffered from a historical snowstorm. A low pressure system moving northeast offshore formed the snowstorm off the New Jersey coast, bringing about substantial amounts of rain, show, and high winds. Of this, two people and several horses were lost.

Any weather event that takes place this early in time is hard to find information on. However, I found this event to be particularly unique because of the surface map of the event shown below.

Good morning everyone! Hopefully, the elections haven’t gotten you all too frazzled and you’re reading this in good health. Yesterday was much more comfortable compared to the frigid conditions we had seen the previous days with a high of 66° and a low of 34°. The rest of the week looks to be a bit warmer with the exception of Thursday, but it should feel around what yesterday did. A widespread high-pressure system will remain over the area until around Tuesday when a cold front is expected to move through bringing precipitation chances back. Until then it is the perfect time to go out and check some fall foliage, especially the red maples, with loved ones or even by yourself.

• SUMMARY:
  • Wednesday
    • High: 70°
    • Low: 45°
  • Thursday
    • High: 68°
    • Low: 48°
  • Friday
    • High: 69°
    • Low: 44°

Also visit the source for the image above for some great things to do this fall around Bowling Green! Have a fun, safe, and healthy week!!

On this day, in 1927, a historical flooding event took place in the state of Vermont. With the combination of a cold front moving into the region as well as a tropical storm moving up the coast, what was expected to only be trace amounts of precipitation turned into 6 to 10 inches. As a result, 1,285 bridges, were completely destroyed, and eighty-four lives were lost.

Check out the photo below that shows the demolition of a bridge by floodwaters!

The National Weather Service has put out a freeze warning for South Central Kentucky until 8AM CDT as widespread frosty conditions dominate our Monday morning. Definitely prepare for that by bundling up and planning some time to defrost the car before a commute. The high for today is 52F and the low is 34F, with mostly clear conditions for the remainder of the day. Right now, most of the Tennessee Valley is under a high pressure system, which will keep clouds and rainy conditions out of our hair until next week! Dew points will linger in the lower 20’s, which enhances dry air and sunny conditions. Though it is bitterly cold this morning, expect a warmup to occur as we continue through the week. Temperatures should be peaking into the lower 70’s by Friday.

Until then, stay warm!

Get ready for a weekend full of dry conditions and clear skies, but that won’t come without some much cooler temperatures. These fall like temperatures will stay in the mid to low 60’s for the high, with a high of 54F for today. The low for today is 37F, so definitely bundle up on that nighttime commute if you are heading out. Winds will be out of the north at 6-8 mph which will continue giving us that kick of cool air and a chance of frost for your Friday night and into Saturday morning. A surface high pressure will linger over the area which will keep those dry and sunny conditions around, but cold advection will keep temperatures struggling to reach anything close to mild conditions. With that being said, stay warm and have a spooky Halloween!

Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to our blog! This week, we’ve had the combination of a strong low pressure system with tropical cyclone Zeta pass through our area, bringing about consistent showers that produced impressive amounts of precipitation. In a 48-hour period, western portions of the state received over 4 inches of rainfall (Kentucky Mesonet at WKU)! For us, we saw the just as impressive amount of 2 inches.

Tonight, the showers will move out and leave lots of sunshine for this weekend. That means dry conditions for the holiday! On the night of, skies will be mostly cloudy and temperatures will stoop to the upper 40’s. So, make sure you bring a spare jacket if you plan on going out!

Good morning everyone!

In true 2020 fashion there is winter precipitation to the west including heavy accumulations of ice while in the Gulf Hurricane Zetta continues to move towards the coast.

As moisture is pulled into the system there will be an increased chance for heavy rains along with the potential for localized flash flooding, so be careful of roadways and AVOID FAIRVIEW. Clouds have already moved into the area and it’s misting in some spots.

Temperatures will remain comfortable as warm air wraps around Zetta and even increase just a bit as Zetta passes to the east of Kentucky. Cold air looks to advect from Canada after Zetta goes off the Atlantic coast. There could be some windy conditions Thursday with Zetta passing. Gusts could be 15-20 mph.

• SUMMARY:
  • Wednesday
    • High: 65
    • Low: 53
    • Precip: Around 1 inch with some areas getting closer to 1.25 inches
  • Thursday
    • High: 67
    • Low: 46
    • Precip: Around .5 inches with some areas seeing closer to .75. The addition of this rain to Wednesday will make flooding potentials higher for some areas.
  • Friday
    • High: 54
    • Low: 36
    • Precip: Rain looks to push out of the way early Friday morning leaving behind sunnier conditions for the weekend.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay dry! Have a great week!