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Back from my break! Mammoth Cave was nice - I think it was actually warmer inside the cave! .
The weather the next few days will remain on the quiet side - especially for May. I know it has been cool and a bit on the cloudy side - and if you are tired of the cool weather then I do have some good news for you - warmer weather is on the way. Along with the warmer air will come the humidity (you had to know it was too good to be true - right?). .
What has been the cause of the recent cool/cloudy weather? A huge upper level low is spiraling to our east - actually backing towards the west over the last 24 hours. .
The upper level low has basically been cut off from the jet streams to our north and south - the low has been meandering around the eastern United States. Having been cut off from the jet stream it has been left to drift - sometimes a bit too the east and sometimes a bit to the west..
Here are some screen shots of radar and satellite imagery - you can literally see this area of low pressure spinning..
Click all images for the larger view....
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And for good measure - one last image - you can literally see the center of this system over the Virginia region. Meteorologically speaking - this is an amazing upper level low!
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OK - one more image - this image is from www.weathertap.com - large view of this upper level low (just click on it for the FULL view).
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. This upper level low has been the reason our region has been experiencing below normal temperatures. Temperatures have been anywhere from 10-20 degrees below normal. Average highs this time of the year are in the middle 70s and average lows are in the middle 50s.
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This is a map showing the high temperature departures - look at how much of the United States is below normal in the temperature department (all of the area in blue). Quite amazing - at least from a weatherman's point of view!
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Click image for a better view....
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This cooler weather has also helped keep the severe weather threat to a minimum. After an incredibly busy April (see my previous blog postings) we have seen near record low severe weather in May. Who can complain about that? Sure it has been a bit on the cool and damp side - but hey - I think most of us will trade tornadoes and flooding for cool and damp.
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With that said - we do have some changes coming. Warmer air is already building and along with the warmer air will come some thunderstorm chances - along with at least one or two severe weather and/or heavy rain episodes.
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Let's take a look at dew points and compare today (Tuesday) and the forecast dew points for this coming Sunday. See a difference? Basically when the dew point reaches 60 or above the atmosphere starts to feel a bit more muggy. Dew points in the upper 60s and/or 70s are considered uncomfortable.
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Tuesday Dew Point - note how low they are! Click image for larger view.
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And now let's take a look at the forecast dew points for this coming Sunday
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This page is best viewed with Mozilla Firefox. There could be issues with spacing on Internet Explorer ---
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This forecast covers far southern Illinois, southeast Missouri, and western Kentucky - for your local town - click here---
Wednesday: Partly sunny and a bit on the cool side. Below normal temperatures.
Highs: in the upper 60s and lower 70s | Wind: west winds at 5-15 mph. Normal highs are around 74-75 degrees. .
Wednesday night: Cloudy and cool. Slight chance for a shower late. Below normal temperatures.Lows: around 54 degrees | Wind: northwest winds at 10 mph. Normal lows are around 52-54 degrees.
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Thursday: Partly to mostly cloudy with a few showers scattered around the area. Near normal temperatures.
Highs: around 76-78 degrees | Wind: west winds at 10-15 mph. Normal highs are around 74-75 degrees.---
Thursday night: Partly cloudy with a stray shower possible. Near normal temperatures.
Lows: around 58 degrees | Wind: south/southeast winds at 5-15 mph. Normal lows are around 52-54 degrees..---
Friday: Partly sunny and warmer. Near normal temperatures.
Highs: around 79 degrees | Wind: east/southeast winds at 10-15 with gusts to 20 mph. Normal highs are around 74-75 degrees..
Rain chances will increase on Friday night and into the weekend
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Did you know that the McCracken County Office of Emergency Management also now has a Facebook? You can view it here
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Forecast for your local town/city - Click Here
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Also our new forecast page is finished! Just click the link below to see all of our Weather Observatory graphics - from the severe weather outlook to lake and river stages - extended outlooks - monthly outlooks - satellite - and more!.
Weather Observatory Graphics and Forecast Page
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Remember you can view all of the temperature maps below - and more - by clicking here
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Below image - Low temperatures for Wednesday morning
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Below image - High temperatures for Wednesday afternoon
Below image - High temperatures for Wednesday afternoon
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Below image - High temperatures for Thursday afternoon
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The forecast for severe or extreme weather risk for today, tonight, and tomorrow...
Wednesday: Severe weather is not anticipated. River flooding will continue.
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Wednesday night: Severe weather is not anticipated. River flooding will continue.
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Thursday: Severe storms are not expected. Flooding will continue on area rivers. .
Thursday night: Severe storms are not expected. Flooding will continue on area rivers.
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Friday: Severe storms are not expected. Will monitor Friday night and update accordingly. Flooding will continue on area rivers.
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Rainfall totals for the next 48 hours. The scale is at the top of the graphic.
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You can view the updated rainfall forecast maps - updated twice a day by going to the Weather Observatory Forecast Site - Click Here
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We have a number of new radars available on our Weather Observatory web-site!---
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 you three GR Earth radars.
http://www.weatherobservatory.com/weather-radar.htm---
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You can now view the 6-10 and 8-14 day forecasts! Maps are available by clicking here.
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1. Warm weekend - thunderstorm chances increase a bit on Friday night into Monday. Can't rule out some storms approaching severe levels. The atmosphere will be juiced up - so any thunderstorms that do form could produce heavy downpours (something we are used to in this region - summer type pattern). .
2. I continue to watch for a more organized severe weather event - most likely next week. I was thinking we could see severe storms as early as the weekend (and that may very well be the case) but I think the better shot will arrive with the main storm system and cold front. This would be the Tuesday-Thursday time frame. Plenty of time to keep an eye on all of the above. .
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You can find me on Twitter under Beau Dodson .
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Have you joined the email list? I send out emails 2-4 days in advance of severe weather. Basically this is a "heads up" email. If you would like to subscribe then click here...
You can find me on Facebook under Beau Dodson Weather - hit LIKE at the top of the page and you can follow along - also please pass the link along to your friends.
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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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To view all watches and warnings in Illinois- Click Here To view all watches and warnings in Kentucky - Click Here
To view all watches and warnings in Missouri - Click Here
To view all watches and warnings in Tennessee - Click Here
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To view all watches and warnings in Tennessee - Click Here
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Other States- Click Here
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Very interesting weather i must say. Nice read thanks
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