February 10, 2011: COLD

February 10, 2011

Very cold temperatures once again tonight  single digits over many of our counties.

Overnight: Bitterly cold.  Patchy freezing fog possible - watch for slick spots on area roadways.  Lows from -2 to 10 above.  Rural areas colder.
Lows: 5-10 above zero | Wind: SW 5

Tomorrow: Mix of sun and clouds - cold.
Highs: Upper 20s to lower 30s | Wind: SW 5-10

Keeping an eye on the February 19th-27th period for possible thunderstorms or other active weather.  Long way off - but watching trends.   Signals are there for both thunderstorms and a winter storm for portions of the central United States.

Here is what the GFS (one model) is showing for next Sunday - the 20th.  This would provide the opportunity for heavy rain and severe thunderstorms - but again this is a long way off.  Just something to watch.

Snowfall totals from yesterday's event - this map was produced by the Paducah, KY National Weather Service Office.  Click image for larger view.

The following information is from the Paducah, KY National Weather Service.  Some statistics on the on-going cold and snowy weather.

How does this winter's cold and snow compare to normal?

The winter of 2010-11 remains unusually cold and snowy. The following are preliminary temperature and snowfall stats for Evansville and Paducah for the season to date (December 1 to February 9):

TEMPERATURES:

At Paducah, the average temperature from December 1 to February 9 was 31.3 degrees. This ranks as the 9th coldest such period on record. Records at Paducah date back to 1937. The coldest such period was 27.3 in 1977, followed by 28.5 in 1978. 

The short-range outlook calls for temperatures to warm to above normal levels, so the winter as a whole may not rank among the ten coldest.


At Evansville, the average temperature from December 1 to February 9 was 29.2 degrees. This ranks as the 10th coldest such period on record. Records at Evansville date back to 1897. The coldest such period was 23.0 in 1977, followed by 23.8 in 1918.

SNOWFALL:

At Paducah, the snowfall so far this season has been 18.9 inches. This ranks as the 5th snowiest such period. The snowiest such period on record was 26.0 inches in 1984-1985. The mean snowfall for an entire winter at Paducah is only 9.6 inches, and about 9 inches was received from Feb. 7-9 this year.

At Evansville, the snowfall so far this season has been 15.5 inches. This ranks as the 10th snowiest such period. The snowiest such period on record was 25.7 inches in 1976-77. The 2nd snowiest such period was 22.9 inches in 1977-78. The mean snowfall for an entire winter at Evansville is only 13.3 inches.

The short-range outlook calls for temperatures to warm to above normal levels, so the winter as a whole may not rank among the ten coldest.

UNUSUAL?

If it seems like the weather has been a bit unusual the past couple years, your perception would be correct. Last winter (2009-10) was the sixth coldest winter on record at Paducah. Last summer was tied for the hottest summer on record at Paducah. This winter may end up among the ten coldest. In addition, precipitation patterns were unusual. Paducah experienced its 4th driest year on record in 2010. Finally, the number of severe weather events in 2010 was the lowest annual total in the NWS Paducah forecast area of responsibility since the modernized office opened in 1994.


Previous discussion

February 10, 2011

Record cold this morning.  I recorded -2 and the Paducah, KY NWS recorded -4.  The old record was set way back in 1979.

Cold to continue into tonight and tomorrow.  A bit warmer Saturday and Sunday - then warmer next week.  I caution you :) - we will be near the cold/warm boundary - so fluctuations in temperatures are likely to occur.

Keep your eyes on February 19th-27th.  Active pattern potential.  

Today: Bitterly Cold  High from 18-22
Highs: 18-24 | Wind: SW at 10

Overnight: Bitterly cold.  Lows from -2 to 10 above.  Rural areas colder.
Lows: 5-10 above zero | Wind: SW 5

Tomorrow: Mix of sun and clouds - cold.
Highs: Upper 20s to lower 30s | Wind: SW 5-10

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
0915 AM CST THU FEB 10 2011

...RECORD DAILY LOW TEMPERATURE SET AT PADUCAH KENTUCKY...

A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 4 DEGREES BELOW ZERO (-4 F) WAS SET AT
BARKLEY REGIONAL AIRPORT...PADUCAH KY THIS MORNING. THIS BREAKS THE
OLD RECORD OF 2 DEGREES SET FEB 10 1979.

February 10, 2011

Short update - been a very long few weeks!

Extremely cold this morning with near record lows in the single digits.

Temperatures will only rise in the 20s today - snow will stick around.

Slightly milder on Friday and Saturday - then a bit warmer yet on Sunday.

I still believe we should see 60s at some point next week!

Meteorologist Beau Dodson

McCracken County Office of Emergency Management

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