Monday: August 9, 2010
Several headlines this morning for the local fire departments, school districts, OEM, American Red Cross, media, and others...
Widespread heat wave to continue across most of our local region - temperatures will be slightly cooler as you go into central and eastern Kentucky. However, NWS offices in those regions may have to issue some heat related advisories, as well.
Some good news - the pattern may finally break next week. Some questions remain on just how big of a break - but I think at this point that anything would be appreciated. Plenty of signals that temperatures will at least be somewhat cooler. Stay tuned for updates!
I sent out a strongly worded email on Saturday - we continue to ask that the media bring attention to heat safety rules and awareness. The email from Saturday is still valid for the upcoming heat wave. Temperatures on Sunday already reached 98-100 degrees over west Kentucky and southern Illinois. The heat will continue this week and possibly into the weekend. Some clouds during the week may temper temperatures slightly. Heat index readings today and into the coming weekend will likely be in the 105-110 range. Isolated areas of 115+ heat index values will be possible.
Your day by day forecast can be viewed here.
The National Weather Service continues to ask the public to check on elderly residents and remind school districts of the dangers of the on-going heat wave. Also - I know it goes without saying - but the National Weather Service also wants to remind everyone about the dangers of leaving children and pets in vehicles (even for just a few minutes) in this extreme heat.
Transportation Cabinet - any help you can provide with overhead alert signs concerning the heat wave would be helpful. Please remind travelers of the dangers of leaving children in a vehicle during extreme heat. Many vehicles break down during periods of high temperature - also tire blow outs are more common. Several fires have been reported in west Kentucky because of tire blow outs and sparks being thrown onto adjacent grassy areas.
Some fire departments in the area are asking residents to please not burn trash, debris, or grass/fields. Burn bans are now in effect for both Ballard and McCracken County - there may be other counties, as well. Please help our local fire departments by refraining from burning debris or other materials during this extended period of drought.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Paducah, Kentucky has placed a number of tips on their web-site on how you can prepare for the on-going heat wave. We ask that you please pass this information along to those who might find it useful.
The only relief in the coming week may come in the form of an increase in clouds and moisture around the Wednesday/Thursday/Friday time frame. However, there is uncertainty on the extent of the clouds and moisture. A tropical disturbance is forecast to move into the Gulf of Mexico. The exact track of this disturbance will determine what - if any - impact it has on our local region. At this time it appears we may actually see a tropical storm develop or attempt to develop off the Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana coast.
Also humidity levels are slightly lower than they were last week - this will help shave off a few degrees from heat index values. Bottom line is that it will still be extremely hot across the region with dangerous heat index values.
Once again, similar to last week, there will be a chance for isolated strong thunderstorms over our region. One or two pop-up storms. Where they occur you can expect heavy rain and gusty winds. We are not expecting any widespread severe weather.
Emergency management officials and the National Weather Service appreciate all of the efforts last week to help keep area residents informed on the excessive heat. Let's continue to push safety as we move through the coming week.
For an update on the latest heat related watches and warnings - please visit your local NWS Office web-site. You can view all of the offices here. The Paducah, Kentucky Office can be viewed on this page. You will immediately notice the large area of red/orange colors over all of our counties. Click on your county in order to see which type of advisory is currently in effect.
- Beau Dodson (270) 970-1202 - media contact
Meteorologist for the McCracken County Office of Emergency Management
Meteorology Adviser to the Kentucky Department of Transportation Cabinet
Facebook updates - under Beau Dodson
Twitter updates - under Beau Dodson
http://www.weatherobservatory.com/ - updated forecast/radar/current conditions/advisories
Anyone who would like to be added to this email list can contact me and I will add them - simply email me at beaudodson@usawx.com
Media - you may use this email with quotes and credits.
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