Beau Dodson's WeatherTalk Blog

October 25, 2015: Unsettled pattern. Remnants of Patricia.

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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.

Remember that weather evolves.  Check back frequently for updates, especially during active weather.

The forecast numbers below may vary a bit across the region.  These are the averages.

Saturday night –  Cloudy with a chance for showers.
Temperatures:  Lows ranging from 52 to 58 degrees.
Winds: 
Southwest winds at 5 mphWinds may switch around out of the northwest/north as the night wears on and the front shifts southward.
What is the chance for precipitation?   60%-70%
Coverage of precipitation? 
Numerous showers possible.
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is  
high
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  
Have a back up plan.
Is severe weather expected?  No
What impact is expected?
  Wet roadways.

WEATHER RADAR PAGEClick here

 

Sunday –  Partly to mostly cloudy.  Perhaps a few remaining showers.  Mainly over far southern Illinois, the Missouri Bootheel, western Kentucky, and Tennessee
Temperatures:  Highs in the middle to upper 60s
Winds:
  North and northeast winds at 6-12 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation? 30%-40% early in the day.
Coverage of precipitation?  Scattered 

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is   high
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  Should be okay.  Believe showers will be coming to an end.

Is severe weather expected?  No

What impact is expected?  Maybe a few wet roadways

 

Sunday night –  Cloudy.  If the front stalls out then I may need to add showers into the forecast.
Temperatures:  Lows ranging from 48-54 degrees.
Winds: 
Northeast/north winds at 5 mph
What is the chance for precipitation?  
10%
Coverage of precipitation? 
 None
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is  
high
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  
 No
Is severe weather expected?  No
What impact is expected?
  None

 

Monday –  Partly cloudy and cool.  Becoming clouds by late morning into the afternoon hours.  Maybe an isolated shower.
Temperatures:  Highs in the middle to upper 60s
Winds:
  East/northeast winds at 5-10 mph.
What is the chance for precipitation? 30%
Coverage of precipitation? Isolated

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is   high
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? 
No, but monitor updates.
Is severe weather expected?  No

What impact is expected?  None

 

Monday night –  Cloudy.  Rain becoming likely.  Thunderstorms possible.
Temperatures:  Lows ranging from 54 to 60 degrees.  Temperatures may rise late at night.
Winds:  E
ast winds at 5-10 mph
What is the chance for precipitation?  
80%
Coverage of precipitation? 
 Numerous
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is
  Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  
 Perhaps.  Rain becoming likely  on Monday night.
Is severe weather expected?  No
What impact is expected?
  Wet roadways.  Lightning possible.

 

Tuesday –  Showers and thunderstorms.  Locally heavy rain possible.  Gusty winds.
Temperatures:  Highs in the 60s
Winds:
  East and southeast winds at 10-15 mph.  Gusty winds possible on Tuesday.
What is the chance for precipitation?  90% (but subject to changes)
Coverage of precipitation?  Numerous to widespread

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is  high
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  I would have a plan B.

Is severe weather expected?  Monitor updates.

What impact is expected?  Wet roadways and maybe lightning.  Gusty winds possible.

 

Tuesday night –  Cloudy.  A chance for rain and possibly a thunderstorm.  Locally heavy rain possible.
Temperatures:  Lows ranging from 50 to 55 degrees
Winds:
Southeast winds at 10-20 mph.  Winds may shift to the southwest late at night.  Gusty winds.
What is the chance for precipitation?  
80%
Coverage of precipitation? 
Numerous to widespread
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is 
high
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  
Possibly
Is severe weather expected?  Monitor updates
What impact is expected?
  Wet roadways.  Lightning.  Gusty winds possible.  Monitor updates.

 

Wednesday –  Cloudy.  A chance for rain showers.  Rain may be coming to an end on Wednesday.  Lower confidence on the Wednesday forecast.
Temperatures:  Highs in the middle to upper 60s
Winds:
  South winds at 10-20 mph.  Gusty winds possible.
What is the chance for precipitation? 60% (but subject to changes)
Coverage of precipitation?  Numerous

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is  Low to medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No, but monitor updates

Is severe weather expected?  No

What impact is expected?  Wet roadways.  Strong winds possible.

 

Wednesday night –  Partly cloudy.
Temperatures:  Lows ranging from 42 to 46 degrees
Winds:
West and northwest winds at 5-10 mph with gusts to 15-20 mph
What is the chance for precipitation? 
10% 
Coverage of precipitation?  None

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is  
Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? 
No
Is severe weather expected?  No
What impact is expected? 
None

 

Thursday –  Partly cloudy and cooler. Gusty winds.
Temperatures:  Highs in the 50’s
Winds: 
Northwest winds at 10-20 mph and gusty
What is the chance for precipitation? 0%
Coverage of precipitation?  None

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is  Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? 
No
Is severe weather expected? 
No
What impact is expected?  Gusty winds possible

 

Thursday night –  Clear and colder.  Frost possible.
Temperatures:  Lows ranging from  35 to 40 degrees
Winds:
North at 5-10 mph
What is the chance for precipitation? 
0%
Coverage of precipitation? 
None
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is 
Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No
Is severe weather expected?  No
What impact is expected? 
Monitoring for frost

 

Friday –  Mostly sunny and cool.  Some increase in clouds possible during the afternoon.
Temperatures:  Highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s
Winds: 
North winds at 5-10 mph
What is the chance for precipitation?  0%
Coverage of precipitation?  None

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is  Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? 
No
Is severe weather expected? 
No
What impact is expected? None

 

Friday night –  Partly cloudy and cool.
Temperatures:  Lows ranging from  38 to 44 degrees
Winds:
North at 5 mph
What is the chance for precipitation? 
0%
Coverage of precipitation? 
None
My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is 
low to Medium
Should I cancel my outdoor plans?  No
Is severe weather expected?  No
What impact is expected? 
Monitoring for frost

 

Saturday –  Mix of sun and clouds.  Lower than normal confidence on Saturday.  Some models show a new storm system moving into the region.
Temperatures:  Highs in the 60’s
Winds: 
Southeast  winds at 5-10 mph
What is the chance for precipitation?  10%
Coverage of precipitation?  None

My confidence in this part of the forecast verifying is   Low
Should I cancel my outdoor plans? 
No
Is severe weather expected? 
No
What impact is expected? None

 

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

Highlights

1.   Some showers will continue into Saturday night
2.  A few showers possible over our southern counties on Sunday, but generally we should be drying out.
3.  Big story is Patricia and the remnants.  Expect rain to move back into the region Monday night into Wednesday
4.  Locally heavy rain potential?
5.  Gusty wind potential?
Before we get to the weather.  A brief announcement 🙂

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These will not be automated messages.  These will be typed and sent straight from me to you.  Your personal meteorologist.

If you would like to sign up and be part of the initial roll-out then let me know (email address is below.  Just type add me into the subject line).  I will then let everyone know when I am ready to start adding people.

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I am going to start a slow roll-out.

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Now, back to our regular scheduled programming!  The Weather!

Rain covered much of the region on Saturday.  Our first widespread rain in some time.  Much needed rain.  Unfortunately, it arrived on a Saturday.  Many of you had outdoor activities.  We could blame Murphy’s Law!  It would rain on the weekend.

Our northern and western counties have received the least amount of rain.  That was sort of the forecast.  Not overly surprised.  Some locations, as of this writing, had not picked up much rain at all.

We should dry out on Sunday.  There has been debate all week about whether the front would stall out or not.  It appears it will push far enough south and east to bring showers to an end over our local region.  I can’t rule out a few showers, especially during the morning hours, over the Missouri Bootheel, western Kentucky, and northwest Tennessee.    But, the general idea for Sunday will be precipitation ending.

Our next big weather maker arrives Monday night into Tuesday night.  Model guidance has sped everything up just a little bit.  At one point I was thinking Tuesday and Wednesday for most of the rain.  Now it looks like Monday night into Tuesday.  Precipitation could end as early as Tuesday night.  But, this will still need to be monitored closely.  Some models hold precipitation into Wednesday.

Rain will spread from south to north over our region on Monday evening and night.  Locally heavy rain will be a possibility.  Thunderstorms, as well.  Questions remain on just how much rain will fall.  But, I am leaning towards a widespread 1-2″ event.  Of course there are always those locations that receive less and some that receive more.

Some of the data guidance paints higher amounts.  But, let’s go conservative for now.  I will continue to update with new information on Sunday and Monday.

Colder air will filter into our region by Thursday and Friday.  Not sure about frost, just yet.  But, some upper 30’s and lower 40’s will be possible on Friday and Saturday morning.  That, combined with light winds and clear sky conditions would indicate at least a chance for frost.

Halloween should be dry and cool.  Some models bring a decent size rain event into our region on Saturday.  I will continue to monitor this possibility, but for now I am leaving the forecast dry.

Let’s take a look at some maps.

Hurricane Patricia came ashore in Western Mexico on Friday.  The hurricane missed the bigger cities.  Which, is great news.  I am sure we will see some damage photos from some areas over the coming days.  But, the best news from this event is that the larger cities were spared.  It would have been a horrible disaster had those cities been struck.  Bad enough as it was.

The remnants of Patricia are now located over northern and northeastern Mexico, parts of Texas, and the northwest Gulf of Mexico.

Here are two satellite views.  You can see moisture streaming from Patricia into our region.

This first image is a water vapor satellite image.  Basically it is showing moisture in the mid to upper levels of the atmosphere.  That green streak goes all the way back to Mexico.  Lot of moisture.  You weather enthusiasts can click the image for a much larger view.

I circled what is left of Patricia.

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This next image is a visible satellite image.  Just look at that moisture stream from the Pacific Ocean all the way into Canada.

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These next images are from wright-weather.com    They are the NAM model guidance.

I am going to show you the progress of the area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico as it moves towards our region.  The colors represent rain and thunderstorms.  The yellow colors and bright colors are heavier rain.  Yellow, orange, and red are the heaviest rains.  Poor southeast Texas.  Some places may end up with 10-20 inches of rain.

The lines are equal lines of pressure.  Isobars.

You can see the circle with the L inside of it.  That is the area of low pressure.  Somewhere near Houston, Texas (to their southeast) on Sunday morning.

Click images for a larger view.

This first image is for Sunday around 11 am to 1 pm.  See the storm down by the Texas coast?  That is the remnants of Patricia.

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Moving ahead to Monday morning.  The storm system is moving east/northeast.   Heavy rain and storms spreading into Louisiana and Alabama.  There will be a tornado threat along the Gulf of Mexico on Monday.

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Moving ahead to Tuesday morning.  The storm system is spreading into our region.  It will actually start spreading into our region on Monday night.

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And, finally this is Tuesday night around 6 pm to 8 pm.  Heavy rain is possible with this system.

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Let me show you the preliminary future-cast radar images.  Still several days out.  These are subject to change.

This first image is for Monday around 10 am to 12 pm.  Rain still to our south at that time.

nam_ref_mc_18

This next image is for Monday evening.  The NAM model guidance has rain moving into our region as early as Monday evening.

nam_ref_mc_22

This next image is for Tuesday morning.  Rain covers are region.  Locally heavy rain possible.

nam_ref_mc_25

This last image is for Tuesday night around 6 pm to 8 pm.  Rain is moving away according to this model.  Still some time to monitor the timing of the precipitation.

nam_ref_mc_29

Let me show you another map.  This is the 850 mb winds.  Winds around 5,000′ aloft.  Strong winds are forecast according to many models on Tuesday into Tuesday night.  This will need to be monitored.  Occasionally these systems can produce strong and gusty winds at the surface.  AND, if there were to be any instability then severe weather could be a concern.

I will be closely monitoring the situation over the next few days.

The colors on this map represent wind speed.  The red colors are 50 knots or higher (again, at 5,000′ aloft).  This is for Tuesday morning.

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Same map, but for the lunch hour on Tuesday.  Strong winds aloft over our region and eastward.

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Colder air arrives for Thursday into Saturday.

 

Don’t forget our local city view radars

WEATHER RADAR PAGEClick here

First map is the radar animation.  You can watch the showers moving through the area.

 

 

 

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Decreased rain coverage for Sunday.

Moved up rain chances for Monday night.

Ended rain a bit sooner on Wednesday (perhaps even late Tuesday night).

whatamiconcered

The main concern centers around the potential for some locally heavy rain on Monday night into Wednesday.  Tropical systems always need to be monitored a bit more closely.

I am also monitoring the potential for some strong winds on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

 

willineedtotakeaction

A few showers possible on Sunday.  Maybe have an umbrella handy.  Especially early in the day.

Monitoring for more rain on Monday night into Wednesday.  Some heavy rain possible, monitor updates.

 

wildcard

The wild card in the forecast centers around the area of low pressure that will move into the Gulf of Mexico over the next few days.

This area of low pressure should push northward on Monday night-Wednesday.  Rain will spread into our region.  Meanwhile, a cold front will approach from the west/northwest on Tuesday/Wednesday.  All of this combined could mean locally heavy rain and gusty winds.

The threat for severe weather, at this point, appears to be centered more to our east and south.  But, this will also need to be monitored.

The wild card will be rainfall totals.  One to two inch amounts appear likely.  Whether heavier totals will occur is questionable.

 

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No additional frost in the short range forecast.  I am watching Thursday into the weekend for another shot at frost and freeze conditions.  Low confidence.

 

rainfallforecast

How much precipitation should we expect over the next few days?

A few showers will be possible on Sunday.  But, overall the system should be shifting south and east.   The best chances will rain on Sunday into Sunday afternoon would be from the Missouri Bootheel into western Kentucky and western Tennessee.  Shifting south and east as the day wears on.

Rainfall totals on Sunday should be on the light side.  Less than 0.25″.

A heavier rain event is possible on Monday night into Wednesday.  Timing of the precipitation will need to be ironed out a bit more.

Rain will spread northward from the Gulf of Mexico.  This would be the remnants of Hurricane Patricia.

Rainfall totals will vary greatly over our region.  If the storm tracks as expected then 1-2″ of rain will likely occur for most of the area.  A band of 2-3″ will also be possible.  But, at this time confidence is too low to actually determine where that would fall.  I would lean towards our eastern counties and southern counties vs our western counties.

Monitor updates.

Scale is on the right.  Image is from weatherbell.com

Again, these totals will vary and will be highly dependent on the track of the area of low pressure.  Also, this includes Saturday’s rainfall.

I would say that 1-2″ of rain is a good bet on Monday night into Wednesday.  Can’t rule out higher amounts.

hpc_total_precip_mc_20

 

 

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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.

Thunderstorm threat level will be ONE for Saturday evening.  Zero for Sunday and Monday.

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Sunday:  Severe weather is not anticipated.
Monday:  Severe weather is not anticipated.
Tuesday:  Monitor updates
Wednesday:  Monitor updates
Thursday:  Severe weather is not anticipated.

levelnostorms

 

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I also set up a storm tracking page with additional links (use during active weather for quick reference)
Storm Tracking Tool Page

 

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Let’s take a look at some winter data.  I will keep adding to this over the coming weeks.  

UPDATE:  October 20, 2015:  Starting to see a more active pattern the last part of October into the first part of November.  A couple of storm systems to monitor.  I am noting the southern systems coming through the southwest United States.  The thinking is that this winter might end up a southern winter.  Meaning, a lot of storm systems will track through the gulf states and then off the southeast coast.  If there is blocking then the systems would push up the East Coast.  Typically this would be a great track for our region when it comes to winter storms.

The question will be how far south do these systems track.  Normally for heavy snow in our region we would look for a system pulling out of Texas and Oklahoma and then tracking into Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama.  That would place our region on the cold side of the area of low pressure.

I do believe this is shaping up to be a fairly unique winter.  The warm waters off both coasts are not typical for an El Nino event.  Widespread above normal water temperatures in the Pacific and the Atlantic.  I will be monitoring Gulf of Mexico water temperatures.  Above normal waters in the Gulf of Mexico typically means increased severe thunderstorm activity along the Gulf Coast.  It could also mean more moisture for our winter storms to work with.

Drought continues to be the lead story.  Our dry pattern has been underway since September and October (for much of the region).  The long range cycle typically sets up during October and early November.  The longer our calm and dry weather persists the more I am concerned about drought during the winter months.

Precious discussions below.

One of my big concerns is how dry September and October have been over our local counties.  This is a concern.  I do believe in repeating patterns.  Typically October and November set the stage for the winter.  Let’s hope we start picking up more precipitation than we have been.

Let me show you some NOAA data.  They basically make their winter forecast 100% based on El Nino.  Personally I don’t like that approach, but every forecaster has their own method.  I believe that every El Nino is unique and is certainly not the only factor in a winter forecast.

With that said here are some typical El Nino graphics

Strong southern jet stream.  I agree with that.  Potentially dry in our region.  I am unsure about that.

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Then there is this map

What would a typical El Nino winter look like?  Above normal temperatures over the northern United States.  Below normal precipitation in and near our region.  Again, this is what NOAA puts out.

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My thoughts below:

Keep in mind that seasonal forecasts are more for fun than anything else.  No meteorologist can forecast details for the winter.  Will we have one big snowstorm?  Will we have a couple of big snow events?  It is the details that you care about.  The details can’t be forecast.

However, with that said…meteorologists can forecast some general ideas for an upcoming season.

As you may have read, I am leaning towards a colder than normal winter.  But, I am struggling with precipitation.  A powerful southern jet stream is forecast for the winter months.  We typically have two branches of the jet.  A northern branch and a southern brand.  That southern branch can produce some nasty weather conditions…including heavy snow, ice, and severe weather.

But, the real question will be the placement of the southern branch in relation to the northern branch.  When the two combine you can experience some of your bigger snowstorms.

The models are showing a drier than normal winter for our region.  Below normal precipitation.  Hopefully this won’t be the case.  I don’t like to enter spring in drought.  We have already experienced drier than normal conditions over Kentucky and Tennessee over the past month or so.  October has been dry, thus far.  And, that looks to continue.

Normally we start thinking about severe weather around the third and fourth week of October.  Also, we typically have one or two severe weather episodes in November.  Too soon to know if that will occur this year.

I am watching a storm system around the 14th-20th.

Back to the winter discussion…

A lot of models are showing below normal temperatures for our region.  Let me show you a few charts.

These particular forecast maps are from a Canadian model.  Images are from Tropical Tidbits.

This first map is for December.  The blue indicates lower than normal 500 mb heights.  The red indicates above normal heights.  Lot of blue across the southern United States.  That could be an indication of stormy weather.

cansips_z500a_us_2

This next map is for January

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This next map is for February

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This next map is for March

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Let’s take a look at temperature anomaly maps

This first map is for December.  Blue colors represent below normal temperatures.  I am thinking this could be another back loaded winter.  Perhaps the harshest winter conditions will be in February and March.  Same as last year.

cansips_T2ma_us_2

Here is the January temperature anomaly map from this particular model guidance.

cansips_T2ma_us_3

This next map is for February.  That is a very cold look for February.

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And, let’s take at look at March.

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So, what does this mean?

Again, long range forecasting is more for fun than anything else.  But, the charts do point towards a cold winter for our region.  Perhaps the coldest part of the winter will be February into March.  Or, the worst winter conditions will be during that time.

Again, this is just one set of data.  There are a lot of other data sets to look over.

I like to move through the Month of October before banking on a winter forecast.

Let’s keep monitoring.

NOAA HAS RELEASED THEIR WINTER FORECAST

NOAA has released their winter forecast.  I have been forecasting below normal temperatures for our region.  But, I have not banked on precipitation, just yet.  The long range cycle is still in the developing stages.  The long range cycle typically develops during October and November.  It is a repeating pattern that will last through the winter.  Until we know what that cycle looks like then making a long range forecast for December into March is difficult, at best.

I am concerned about our dry weather.  October has been dry, thus far.  Not the best way to start out the next cycle.  However, we still have 4-6 more weeks to go.  Will the weather become more active during that time period?  Frequent cold fronts and frequent precipitation would be a strong clue as to what will happen in December-March.

Here is what NOAA said today.

This first map is their temperature outlook.  They are forecasting above normal temperatures across the northern United States.  In other words, the odds favor above normal temperatures.  The blue area, to our south, represents below normal temperatures.

I would have brought the blue further north into our region.  It is my forecast opinion that we will have a colder than normal winter.  That is when December into early March is averaged out.  That does not mean every month will be colder than normal.  It simply means the odds favor it averaging out to below normal.  We will see how it goes.

I base those ideas off the warm waters off the West Coast of the United States.  The last few winters have provided us with a lot of cold air.  If the high pressure in Canada shifts into western Canada then we will have plenty of cold air.

Our region is in white.  What is NOAA saying about our region?  They are saying there is a 50/50 chance for above or below normal temperatures.

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Let’s look at NOAA’s precipitation forecast.  They are forecasting the southern United States to have a wetter than normal winter.  Drier than normal for much of the northern United States into the Great Lakes.  As I have said before, I am not ready to bank on a precipitation outlook.

Our region is in white.  What is NOAA forecasting for our region?  They are saying a 50/50 chance for above or below normal precipitation.

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Remember, forecasters can’t actually tell you what you really want to know. How much snow will fall at my location. Will we have an ice storm. How many winter storms will impact our region.  If someone tells you that it is going to snow 8″ on January 15th then take it with a grain of salt.  Trust me, no forecaster can accurately forecast specific weather events months in advance.  Key word being specific.

We can have a drier than normal winter and a colder than normal winter and still be slammed by one or two big winter storms.

For the most part, our region experiences a couple of winter storms each year. Last year the winter was boring, until it wasn’t. The two big winter storms occurred on February 16th and March 5th.  And, many will never forget those two events.  November into January was fairly calm.

No matter what winter forecast you read, there isn’t a method of forecasting the big events. The events that matter.  Not months in advance, at least.  We do well to forecast them a few days in advance, let alone months in advance.

Forecasters do fairly well with general over/under forecasts. Warmer than normal/colder than normal. Wetter than normal/drier than normal. But, that really does not tell the story of winter. That does not tell you what you really are wondering.  Thus, is the nature of long range forecasting.   Maybe one day it will improv

 

 

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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

NOTE:  Occasionally you will see ground clutter on the radar (these are false echoes).  Normally they show up close to the radar sites – including Paducah.

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

Regional Radar – Click on radar to take you our full radar page.

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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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I also set up a storm tracking page with additional links (use during active weather for quick reference)
Storm Tracking Tool Page

 

clickherewatches

Current WARNINGS (a warning means take action now). Click on your county to drill down to the latest warning information. Keep in mind that there can be a 2-3 minute delay in the updated warning information.

I strongly encourage you to use a NOAA Weather Radio or warning cell phone app for the most up to date warning information. Nothing is faster than a NOAA weather radio.

Color shaded counties are under some type of watch, warning, advisory, or special weather statement.  Click your county to view the latest information.

Missouri Warnings

Illinois Warnings

Kentucky Warnings

 

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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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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…

Here are some current forecast hydrographs.  These will be updated each day with new information.

Smithland Lock and Dam

Paducah, Kentucky Forecast Stage

Cairo, Illinois

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

 

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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 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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awaremail

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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