March 23, 2011: One more warm day - a few storms (especially eastern half)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

4:30 PM Update...
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Showers and thunderstorms are moving east of our immediate local counties.  The threat of severe weather will end as the storms move east.  
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Several reports of small hail were received from western Kentucky.  Some fairly heavy pea to dime size hail fell in the Paducah area - a few nickel size pieces, as well.
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Cooler temperatures will arrive this afternoon along with winds gusting above 30 mph.
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Wednesday March 23, 2011
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1:30 PM Update
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Thunderstorms are forming just about where expected.  Some of the storms are severe with large hail and gusty winds.  A tornado watch is in effect for a large portion of Kentucky.  The watch does not include far western Kentucky - at this time.
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I still expect the biggest severe weather threat to be over the eastern portions of our region - from Evansville south to the Kentucky Lake area and then eastward.  Again - a few strong/severe storms may form west of there, as well.
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Cooler air will arrive tonight and tomorrow.
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Listen to NOAA Weather Radio and local media for the latest updates on this event.
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- Beau
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011 
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One more mild day and then cooler air slips into the region. 
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There will be a few thunderstorms around on Wednesday afternoon - especially over the eastern half of the region - say from Evansville down to near Kentucky Lake and then east.  A few storms could form west of that line - but it is less likely than areas along/near that line eastward.
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If storms do form in southeast Illinois, southwest Indiana, or western Kentucky then they could be strong to potentially severe.  Listen to NOAA Weather Radios and local media for the most up to date information on any watches and/or warnings that may need to be issued.

Checking the instability levels tomorrow - CAPE appears highest over central and eastern Kentucky - northern Kentucky, as well.  CAPE is basically the instability in the atmosphere.  There is also some strong wind shear - wind shear is how strong the wind is above the surface.  The stronger the wind and the more turning of the winds with height indicate a better chance for strong or severe storms.  There will be quite a bit of shear over the eastern half of the region tomorrow.

In addition to thunderstorm chances over portions of the area there will also be strong and gusty winds on Wednesday afternoon across the entire region.  Winds will gust from the southwest/west at 15-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph.  Anyone out on area lakes should use caution.

Here is a graphic showing the winds for Wednesday afternoon - you can see they are from the west (the arrows are showing what direction the wind is coming from - you can see the scale below - this is in knots and doesn't include the gusts)
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We have a number of new radars available on our Weather Observatory web-site - please check them out!  We now offer St Louis, Mt Vernon, Evansville, Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, Marion, Paducah, Hopkinsville, and Dyersburg Interactive City Radars.  We also have the two regional radars and now offer your three GR Earth radars.

http://www.weatherobservatory.com/weather-radar.htm

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We will soon be offering you a lot more weather graphic products (see a sample below) - this should be ready in a week or two!

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This site is best viewed with Mozilla Firefox.  There could be issues with spacing on Internet Explorer.
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Charities helping Japan...


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http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1221
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Bottom Line It For Me Beau... 

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Wednesday:  A mix of sun and clouds.  A few thunderstorms - especially over our eastern counties - more likely from/near the Evansville area down to Kentucky Lake.  If storms do form then some strong/severe storms are not out of the question.  Otherwise the rest of the region will be breezy with an isolated strong/severe storm possible.  Warm with above normal temperatures.
Highs:  middle 70s | Wind: Southwest winds at 15-25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.
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Wednesday night:  Clearing and cooler.  
Lows:  around 40 degrees | Wind: Northwest winds at 10-15 mph.
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Thursday:  A mix of sun and clouds.  Breezy and cooler with below normal temperatures.
Highs: upper 40s  |  Wind: North/northwest winds at 10-15 mph with gusts to 20 mph.
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Thursday night:  Clearing and cold.  
Lows:  around 32 degrees | Wind: Northwest winds at 5-10 mph.
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Friday:  Becoming mostly cloudy with a chance for showers late in the day - spreading in from the west/southwest.  Breezy and cool with below normal temperatures.
Highs:  lower 50s | Wind: North/northeast winds at 10-15 mph becoming east/southeast at 15 mph.

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You can find me on Twitter under Beau Dodson
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You can find me on Facebook under Beau Dodson Weather - hit LIKE at the top of the page
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Video has been posted and updated on the Weather Observatory web-site (simply click on the day of the week for the latest video).
http://weatherobservatory.com/weather-video.htm
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The forecast for severe or extreme weather risk for today, tonight, and tomorrow: Scattered severe storms over the area - mostly in Kentucky and southern Indiana.  Chances are less the further west you go in the region and chances are higher the further east you go in the region.  Any severe storms that do form could produce large hail, gusty winds, and isolated tornadoes.
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Below are the official probabilities for severe weather on Wednesday - basically this shows you the percentage risk for a severe weather event being within 25 miles of your house.  Fairly high probabilities over central and eastern Kentucky.  More information on probabilities - click here
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Another storm system will approach the region on Friday and Saturday with a near 100% chance of rain during that time period.  Rainfall totals with that system should be around 1/2" to locally 1".  I am not expecting severe weather with the weekend system - but will monitor, as always.

Here is your 5 day rainfall graphic
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Your regional and local radars - including several new interactive city radars  - click here  
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Meteorologist Beau Dodson McCracken County Office of Emergency Management
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For the latest watches and warnings please visit your local National Weather Service Office http://www.weather.gov/organization.php


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