Your Hometown Weather: March 4, 2013: Rain chances on the increase

March 4, 2013

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Good Monday morning! If you are checking the blog today then you will probably want to know when it is going to rain (or snow)!

Rain chances will be on the increase late this afternoon and tonight. Our next weather maker is already making headlines to our north where winter storm warnings have been issued for northern parts of Illinois.

For our region we can expect rain and some thunderstorms. The best chances for widespread precipitation will be tonight into Tuesday morning. Rainfall totals should be in the 0.30"-0.60" range.

There will be a chance for a few rumbles of thunder on Monday night - small hail will also be possible. Lows by Tuesday morning should be in the lower 40s.

Colder air will start to filter into the region on Tuesday. Rain showers may change over to a period of light snow by late Tuesday afternoon and/or Tuesday night. Right now it appears that any accumulation of snow would be light. Keep in mind that bridges and overpasses can become slick and hazardous with small amounts of precipitation.

Highs on Tuesday will likely be early in the morning. Temperatures should fall through the day on Tuesday.

Lows by Wednesday morning will be in the upper 20s and lower 30s. Highs on Wednesday will be in the 40s.

Winds will be gusty on Monday into Wednesday morning. Expect the strongest winds to be on Tuesday/Tuesday night. Wind gusts in the 20-30 mph range will be possible.

Wednesday and Thursday will be dry. Temperatures will slowly warm through the week. By Friday and Saturday temperatures should be back into the 50s. We may even hit 60 degrees on Saturday - we will see how much cloud cover we end up with.

Rain chances will again arrive by Sunday or Monday of next week.

Spot NWS forecast for your location (keep in mind that these forecasts on the point and click page are the NWS forecast thoughts - my thoughts are here and/or on my weather Facebook page) -- Click here - then enter your zip code for the most up to date spot forecast from the National Weather Service.

Chance for light snow on Tuesday afternoon/Tuesday night - light accumulation can't be ruled out.

Pattern should be interesting for the U.S. over the coming weeks. Lot of jet stream energy.

For more frequent updates visit my weather Facebook page - click here and hit like at the top of the page.

No major concerns

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The wild card in the extended forecast will be the chance for rain turning to snow on Tuesday afternoon.

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The forecast for severe or extreme weather

The McCracken County Office of Emergency Management reminds you that owning a NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio is the best way to receive notifications of severe weather watches and warnings.

Remember that the National Weather Service defines a severe thunderstorm as one that produces 58 mph winds or higher, hail 1" in size or larger, and/or a tornado.

Monday: Severe weather is not anticipated. No snow or ice.

Is there a chance for thunderstorms BELOW severe limits? No

Tonight: Severe weather is not anticipated. No snow or ice.

Is there a chance for thunderstorms BELOW severe limits? Rumble of thunder possible - small hail possible.

Tomorrow: Severe weather is not anticipated. Light snow possible.

Is there a chance for thunderstorms BELOW severe limits? Thunder possible on Monday night

For the most up to date severe weather outlooks - click here.

Visit the Storm Prediction Center's web-site - click here

To view storm reports from today and yesterday - click here

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Will the Storm Prediction Center issue a tornado or severe thunderstorm watch for southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, or western Kentucky?

Monday - No
Tuesday - No
Wednesday - No

To view the official Storm Prediction Center's web-site - click here Alternative link - click here

We have a number of new radars available on our Weather Observatory web-site !
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We now offer St Louis, Mt Vernon, Evansville, Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, Marion, Paducah, Hopkinsville, Memphis, Nashville, and Dyersburg Interactive City Radars. I have added all of eastern Kentucky, as well.

We also have the two regional radars and now offer you three GR Earth radars.

Click here for our radar page - WEATHER RADARS ---
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We also have a new interactive radar - you can view that radar by clicking here.

Want to learn more about how to use our radars? Here is a video with more information

Click here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfLa0hI3adU

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To view all watches and warnings in IL - Click Here
To view all watches and warnings in KY - Click Here
To view all watches and warnings in MO - Click Here
To view all watches and warnings in TN - Click Here
All other states- Click Here

The links above are interactive and you can move around the United States by simply clicking on the national map - or from the pull down menu where it says regions and US States.
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To view the interactive warning map - click here.

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You can listen to local emergency services, SKYWARN storm spotters, and more by visiting our scanner feed page - click here

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The Weather Observatory is a strong partner with the National Weather Service - click here to visit your local NWS web-site. For the most up to date warnings/advisories hit refresh on their page.

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Let's check out the how much rain is forecast to fall in our region. This map gives you a general broad brushed idea of what can be expected. Remember the scale is at the top of the map.

Click the link below - then choose your the time period you are interested in!

CLICK HERE FOR THE RAINFALL GRAPHIC - then choose the time frame above the image

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You can also now view the probability of X amount of rain (you pick the value on the web-site) in a six hour period of time. Those maps can be viewed here.

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Current conditions - including temperatures, apparent temperatures, heat index, wind chill, wind, pressure, humidity, dew points, and more - click here
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You can view the upcoming days high temperature and low temperature forecasts by clicking here - choose the day - click on your state to zoom in
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To view recent records that have been broken - click here
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Keep in mind that these forecasts on the point and click page are the NWS forecast thoughts - my thoughts are below and/or on my weather Facebook page.

Forecast for your local town/city - Click Here

We have a TON of new weather maps on the Weather Observatory web-site - these include temperatures, wind speed, dew points, heat index, barometric pressure, predicted rainfall, climate forecast, medium and long range maps, forecasts and more! Click here

Don't forget to sign up for the severe weather "heads up" email list - I usually email everyone before a big event - severe weather - tornado outbreaks - winter storms - ice storms. Click here to join---

If you are a weather enthusiast then I recommend listening to WeatherBrains each week! For a more in-depth look at what is happening in meteorology.

Now is a GREAT time to buy a NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio. Better to have one before storms strike than to be without one during an event. I recommend the Midland Model 300 NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio - that is what I use here at my house!

Meteorologist Beau Dodson
McCracken County Office of Emergency Management
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Beau Dodson Weather - Facebook
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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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All other states- Click Here
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For the latest watches and warnings please visit your local National Weather Service Office web-site
http://www.weather.gov/organization.php
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Remember most of the maps on the blog can be viewed on Weather Observatory Web-Site
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