Beau Dodson's WeatherTalk Blog

August 4, 2016: Hot and muggy. Some storms.

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This forecast update covers far southern Illinois, far southeast Missouri, and far western Kentucky. See the coverage map on the right side of the blog.

What do the confidence levels mean?

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This forecast covers the counties in red.

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This forecast covers the counties in red.

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New!  Video page on the main Weather Talk web-site.

I am posting videos each day on the WeatherTalk website.  The videos can be found under the BeauCast tab. Click here.

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August 4, 2016
Sunset will be at 7:57 p.m.
Moonrise will be at 7:48 a.m. and moonset will be at 9:06 p.m.  Waxing Crescent 

Thursday Night – Mostly clear.  Warm and muggy.  Isolated evening storm possible.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  Lows in the 74-76 degree range
Winds: Winds east at <5 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation? 10%-20%
Coverage of precipitation:  Isolated
Is severe weather expected? Maybe an isolated storm in the evening with gusty winds
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying:  High
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No, but monitor radars

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August 5, 2016
Friday – Partly sunny.  Hot and humid.  Muggy.  Some more scattered storms are possible.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  High temperatures in the  92-96 degree range.  Heat index 102+
Winds: West and southwest winds at 5-10 mph.

What is the chance for precipitation? 40%
Coverage of precipitation?  Scattered.
Is severe weather expected? A few storms could produce damaging winds.
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying: Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? No, but monitor radars.
Sunrise will be at 6:04 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:56 p.m.
UV index will be 9-11.  High to very high.
Moonrise will be at 8:48 a.m. and moonset will be at 9:40 p.m.  Waxing Crescent 

Friday Night -Increasingly cloudy.  Showers and thunderstorms will be possible.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  Lows in the 74-78 degree range
Winds: Winds west, but becoming northwest at 5-10 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation?  40%.
Coverage of precipitation: Scattered.
Is severe weather expected? A few storms could produce high winds.
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying: Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No, but monitor radars

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August 6, 2016
Saturday – A mix of sun and clouds.  Scattered thunderstorms will be possible.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  High temperatures in the  85-90 degree range.  Heat index above 95 degrees.  Temperatures on Saturday will be dependent on cloud cover.
Winds: Variable winds at 5-10 mph.  Winds becoming northerly behind the cold front.

What is the chance for precipitation? 40%-50% monitor updates.
Coverage of precipitation?  Scattered
Is severe weather expected? Storms could produce isolated reports of strong winds.
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying:  Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? No, but monitor radars.
Sunrise will be at 6:04 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:55 p.m.
UV index will be 7-10.  Moderate to high, depending on cloud cover.  If we have more clouds on Saturday then this number would need to be lowered.
Moonrise will be at  9:46 a.m. and moonset will be at 10:11 p.m.  Waxing Crescent 

Saturday Night – Some clouds.  Thunderstorms possible as a front pushes through the area.  This front might stall out near our southern counties.  Monitor updates.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  Lows in the 68-72 degree range
Winds: Winds variable at 3-6 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation?  40%
Coverage of precipitation:  Scattered
Is severe weather expected? Storms could produce strong winds.
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying: Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No, but monitor radars

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August 7,  2016
Sunday – Partly cloudy.  Small chance for a thunderstorm.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  High temperatures in the  84-90 degree range.
Winds: North winds at 5-10 mph.  Winds variable at times in direction.

What is the chance for precipitation? 20% monitor updates.
Coverage of precipitation? Isolated over southern counties.
Is severe weather expected? No
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying: Low
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? No
Sunrise will be at 6:05 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:57 p.m.
UV index will be 9-11.  Most likely high.  We will need to monitor cloud cover and any storms in the region.
Moonrise will be at 10:41 a.m. and moonset will be at 10:42 p.m.  Waxing Crescent 

Sunday Night – Partly cloudy.
What impact is expected? Most likely none
Temperatures:  Lows in the 66-72 degree range
Winds: Winds northwest at 3-6 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation?  10%
Coverage of precipitation:  Most likely none.  Isolated if any.
Is severe weather expected? No
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying: Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No

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August 8,  2016
Monday – Partly cloudy.   Isolated thunderstorm possible.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  High temperatures in the  85-90 degree range.
Winds:  Variable winds at 5-10 mph.

What is the chance for precipitation? 20% monitor updates.
Coverage of precipitation? Isolated
Is severe weather expected? Unlikely
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifyingLow
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? No, but monitor radars.
Sunrise will be at 6:06 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:53 p.m.
UV index will be 6-9.  Most likely high.  We will need to monitor cloud cover and any storms in the region.
Moonrise will be at 11:37 a.m. and moonset will be at 11:14 p.m.  Waxing Crescent 

Monday Night – Partly cloudy.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  Lows in the  68-72 degree range
Winds: Winds east at 3-6 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation?  20%
Coverage of precipitation:  Isolated
Is severe weather expected?  Unlikely
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying: Low
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No, but monitor radars

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August 9,  2016
Tuesday – Partly cloudy.   Hot and humid.  Isolated thunderstorm possible.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  High temperatures in the  88-92 degree range.
Winds:  South winds at 5-10 mph.

What is the chance for precipitation? 20% monitor updates.
Coverage of precipitation? Isolated
Is severe weather expected? Unlikely
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifyingLow
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? No, but monitor radars.
Sunrise will be at 6:07 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:52 p.m.
UV index will be 6-9.  Most likely high.  We will need to monitor cloud cover and any storms in the region.
Moonrise will be at 12:31 p.m. and moonset will be at 11:47 p.m.  Waxing Crescent 

Tuesday Night – Partly cloudy.
What impact is expected? Storms could produce heavy rain, strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning.  Slow moving storms, during the summer months, can produce flash flooding.
Temperatures:  Lows in the  70-74 degree range
Winds: Winds southwest at 3-6 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation?  20%
Coverage of precipitation:  Isolated
Is severe weather expected?  Unlikely
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying: Low
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No, but monitor radars

More information on the UV index.  Click here.

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The weekend forecast is sponsored by Farmer and Company Real Estate.

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Saturdaynight

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The weekend forecast is sponsored by Farmer and Company Real Estate.  Click here to visit their site.

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Don’t forget to check out the Southern Illinois Weather Observatory web-site for weather maps, tower cams, scanner feeds, radars, and much more!  Click here

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An explanation of what is happening in the atmosphere over the coming days…

  1. Cold front incoming
  2.  Strong storms?
  3.  Long range
 Friday is going to be the hottest day of the week.  That is how it is shaping up.  Expect high temperatures well into the 90’s.  This will combine with dew points in the 70’s to create heat index values well above 100 degrees.   As always, use care.  Don’t forget to fresh the pets water bowls!
A cold front will push into the region on Friday afternoon and night.  This cold front will help aid in the development of showers and thunderstorms.  CAPE values (energy for storms) will be quite high on Friday afternoon and evening.  Some of the storms could reach heights of 50,000′ or greater.  That will be a lot of energy.  I can’t rule out a few severe thunderstorm warnings on Friday.  The main concern will be a few reports of damaging winds.  Downburst winds will also be possible.  Downburst winds can reach speeds of 50 mph or greater.
Storms on Friday could produce rainfall totals of 1″-3″ per hour.  Frequent lightning, as well.
Let’s look at some of the severe weather parameter maps for Friday.
CAPE is a measure of energy in the atmosphere.  We will have quite a bit of CAPE to work with on Friday.  That could mean some intense storms.
CAPE
PWAT values will be quite high ahead of the cold front.  Numbers could reach over two inches.  Two inches and above is extreme.  PWAT is a measure of moisture in the entire atmosphere.  We have had high PWAT values since early July.
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Here is the Friday 7 pm PWAT values.
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Let’s look at future-cast radar.  Future-cast radar is what a model thinks radar MIGHT look like at a certain time.
This is the 10 AM future-cast radar.  Models don’t handle storms very well.  This is just an idea from the WRF model.  There could be a couple of storms around on Friday morning.
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Friday 1 PM future-cast radar
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7 PM future-cast radar.  Coverage could be more than this.
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Another model is showing this for 7 PM Friday night
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The front will push into the southern half of the region on Saturday.  This brings up questions as to how far north to leave rain chances on Saturday and Saturday night.  Right now, it appears the best chances for storms on Saturday and Saturday night will be the southern half of the region.  Let’s draw a line from  Poplar Bluff, Missouri towards Cape Girardeau, Missouri and then towards  Madisonville, Kentucky.  There southward will have the best chance.
Dew points should drop behind the cold front.  Dew points in the 70’s have been the general rule for the last few weeks.  That is why it feels muggy outside.
Friday dew points
Fridaydewpoints
Saturday (notice the drop)
Saturdaydewpoints
Now, with that said, if the front stalls out earlier than expected then this forecast will need adjusting.  Monitor updates.
It appears that Sunday might end up mostly rain free in our area.  That would be a first!  Let’s hope it verifies.
We may return to an unsettled pattern next week.  Additional shower and thunderstorm chances.  That pattern might last into the middle of August.
I am closely monitoring a stronger system for the 14th-18th.  Long way off and timing will need adjusting.  I will keep an eye on it.
I will be on vacation from August 10th through August 19th.  I will keep everything updated, but perhaps a little less content.

HEAT INDEX FORECAST NUMBERS

Friday

Keep in mind, these heat values will only be reached if there is plenty of sunshine.  If we have more clouds and storms then we will not reach these numbers.

Fridayheatindex

Saturday

Saturdayheatindex

Sunday

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How much rain is forecast over the coming days?  This map is through Tuesday.  This is broad-brushed outlook.

Keep in mind that locally heavy storms can drop 1-3″ in an hour.  Thus, these totals will vary greatly.  This is a broad-brushed map

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Friday morning low temperature map  (temperatures over the coming days will vary based on clouds)

Click images for a larger view

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Friday high temperature forecast (will vary based on clouds and precipitation)

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Saturday morning low temperature map

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Saturday afternoon high temperature map (will vary based on clouds and precipitation)

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Sunday morning lows

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Sunday afternoon highs

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I will keep the Beau Dodson Weather Facebook page updated, Beau Dodson on Twitter, and the texts.  Don’t forget if you want to receive links to the daily blog and Facebook updates to check box number four on the texting site.  That is the one used for non-severe days.

Storm Tracking Radar

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

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We have regional radars and local city radars – if a radar does not seem to be updating then try another one. Occasional browsers need their cache cleared. You may also try restarting your browser. That usually fixes the problem. Occasionally we do have a radar go down. That is why I have duplicates. Thus, if one fails then try another one.

If you have any problems then please send me an email beaudodson@usawx.com

WEATHER RADAR PAGEClick here

We also have a new national interactive radar – you can view that radar by clicking here.

Local interactive city radars include St Louis, Mt Vernon, Evansville, Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, Marion, Paducah, Hopkinsville, Memphis, Nashville, Dyersburg, and all of eastern Kentucky – these are interactive radars. Local city radars – click here

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Live Lightning Data – zoom and pan:  Click here
Live Lightning Data with sound (click the sound button on the left side of the page): Click here

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Can we expect severe thunderstorms over the next 24 to 48 hours?  Remember that a severe thunderstorm is defined as a thunderstorm that produces 58 mph winds or higher, quarter size hail or larger, and/or a tornado.

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Friday:  A few strong to potentially severe storms will be possible on Friday afternoon and evening.  Some storms could produce small hail and damaging winds.  Lightning and heavy rain, of course.
Friday night into Saturday night:  A few storms will be possible. over the southern half of the region.  That would include the Missouri Bootheel and then into western Kentucky.  Northern counties might be cleared of storms by Saturday.  Storms during this time frame could be strong.  Lightning would be the primary concern.  Heavy rain, as well.

Sunday and Monday:  Perhaps an isolated storms.  Severe weather is currently not anticipated.
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Lot of weekend forecast changes.  The front may move further south than anticipated.  IF that happens then we can clear rain chances over the northern half of the region on Saturday and perhaps most areas on Sunday.  Lower confidence.  If the front stalls then storm chances increase.

Perhaps best chances will be southern counties (Bootheel and KY/TN border areas)
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High heat index values on Friday.  Use care.  Don’t forget the outdoor pets and their water bowls changed a few times each day.

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Use care with elderly and children.  Heat index values of 100 to 110 degrees over the coming days.  Actual air temperatures will range from 90-95.

Avoid flooded roadways.  Summer thunderstorms can produce 1-3″ of rain per hour.  This can lead to flash flooding.
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Here are the current river stage forecasts.   You can click your state and then the dot for your location.  It will bring up the full forecast and hydrograph.

Click Here For River Stage Forecasts

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Here is the official 6-10 day and 8-14 day temperature and precipitation outlook.  Check the date stamp at the top of each image (so you understand the time frame).

The forecast maps below are issued by the Weather Prediction Center (NOAA).

The latest 8-14 day temperature and precipitation outlook.  Note the dates are at the top of the image.  These maps DO NOT tell you how high or low temperatures or precipitation will be.  They simply give you the probability as to whether temperatures or precipitation will be above or below normal.

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Who do you trust for your weather information and who holds them accountable?

I have studied weather in our region since the late 1970’s.  I have 37 years of experience in observing our regions weather patterns.  My degree is in Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University and an Associate of Science (AS).  I am currently working on my Bachelor’s Degree in Geoscience.

My resume includes:

Member of the American Meteorological Society.

NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador. 

Meteorologist for McCracken County Emergency Management.  I served from 2005 through 2015.

I own and operate the Southern Illinois Weather Observatory.

Recipient of the Mark Trail Award, WPSD Six Who Make A Difference Award, Kentucky Colonel, and the Caesar J. Fiamma” Award from the American Red Cross

In 2009 I was presented with the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Award. 

Recognized by the Kentucky House of Representatives for my service to the State of Kentucky leading up to several winter storms and severe weather outbreaks.

I am also President of the Shadow Angel Foundation which serves portions of western Kentucky and southern Illinois.

There is a lot of noise on the internet.  A lot of weather maps are posted without explanation.  Over time you should learn who to trust for your weather information.

My forecast philosophy is simple and straight forward.

  • Communicate in simple terms
  • To be as accurate as possible within a reasonable time frame before an event
  • Interact with you on Twitter, Facebook, and the blog
  • Minimize the “hype” that you might see on television or through other weather sources
  • Push you towards utilizing wall-to-wall LOCAL TV coverage during severe weather events

I am a recipient of the Mark Trail Award, WPSD Six Who Make A Difference Award, Kentucky Colonel, and the Caesar J. Fiamma” Award from the American Red Cross.  In 2009 I was presented with the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Award.  I was recognized by the Kentucky House of Representatives for my service to the State of Kentucky leading up to several winter storms and severe weather outbreaks.

If you click on the image below you can read the Kentucky House of Representatives Resolution.

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Many of my graphics are from www.weatherbell.com – a great resource for weather data, model data, and more

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You can sign up for my AWARE email by clicking here I typically send out AWARE emails before severe weather, winter storms, or other active weather situations. I do not email watches or warnings. The emails are a basic “heads up” concerning incoming weather conditions.

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