Southern Ice Storm 01/15/13

An ice storm is in progress across parts of the south. Ice storm warnings are in effect from Shreveport LA to Memphis TN.

At 10:00am, I have been listening to scanners out of Shreveport LA. Bridges are now slick and hazardous. One particular bridge has yielded accidents, including injuries. Law enforcement and other officials are trying to divert traffic from the bridge so that medical personnel can get to those injured.

Shreveport LA scanners

MS

Heavy Rain Event January 10-14, 2013

For some, this has been a memorable rain producer. Plenty of water fell from the skies across the state. Here is a list of final rainfall totals for those of us generally along and west of I-65. These totals cover the time period from Thursday, January 10 through this evening at 9:30pm est.

Crittenden County      6.29"
Fulton County            5.87"
McLean County         5.15"
Graves County           4.45"
Marshall County         4.39"
Simpson County         3.90"

Louisville                    3.60"
Bowling Green           3.31"
Lexington                   2.38"

In Jefferson County...
Valley Station            4.16"
Camp Horine             3.91"
Valley Station (MS)   3.80"
Fairdale                     3.76"
PRP                          3.68"

More totals possibly forthcoming for the eastern part of the state.

MS

Weather Summary and Forecast 1/13/13

I'll be posting rainfall totals by tomorrow evening. I'm keeping a running total on my RainWatch post. You can check that out to keep current.

Impressive rain totals across western KY with some amounts exceeding 5" since Thursday Jan 10.

Cold front blasting through the state today, promises to crush our January thaw. In fact, some residual moisture may freeze, causing black ice concerns and the dreaded I-can't-open-my-car-door syndrome.

In other news, the western United States is undergoing quite the cold spell. They're talking about possible frost on the beaches of San Diego and for Tijuana's sunrise.

Las Vegas, NV recorded low temperatures at or below freezing only 3 times last year, and that was in December last month. So far this year, counting today, this is Las Vegas' 8th day at or below 32 degrees.

On the flip side, if you want to call it that, Alaska has been 'enjoying' much above normal temperatures lately. Despite Fairbanks recording 8 consecutive mornings below zero, their average temperature is 9.5 degrees above normal for the month.. At Bethel, they're running 18.7 degrees above normal.

One of the snowiest locations in Alaska is Valdez. They have received nearly 80" for the season. However, that is way below average for them. Normally, Valdez should have recorded 151.8 inches by now for the season. Last year, at this time, they had already recorded 322".

In Texas, so far, it's been very wet this month. At Navarro Mills Dam, about 35 miles east of Waco, 5.28" rain has been recorded. Waco has had 4.83", most of that occurring on January 9th when they received a record 3.79" for the date.

Our forecast is calling for an extended cold spell. However, the NWS seems to think temperatures will run about normal for the area. They're holding off on precipitation chances for the rest of the week. There will be systems out there that will be worth keeping an eye on, though.

The CPC has put out a medium-range forecast that has the region in below normal temperatures for the January 18-26 period. However, precipitation looks to come in at below to much below normal for the same time period. It figures.

MS

RainWatch Jan11-14 2013

I'll be updating this page throughout the next few days, using a combination of Mesonet sites and MSD rain gauges and the NWS offices.
\
UPDATED Sun pm at 2:00est
The next wave of precipitation has been riding along the slow-moving cold front. The temperature at my house in Valley Station (sw Jefferson County) is still 55 degrees. About 30 minutes away in Brandenburg (Meade County), temperature is 44. So, the front is getting much closer. Several areas in Jefferson county are now over 2" since midnight. Some locations in west KY are over 3" since midnight. Here are some updated totals since midnight and total storm amounts since Thursday.

McLean County near Calhoun  3.13"  4.88"
Crittenden County near Marion  3.04"  6.17"
Fulton County near Hickman  3.03"  5.84"
Graves County near Mayfield  2.90"  4.43"

Louisville 2.17"  3.05"
Lexington  0.86"  1.53"
Bowling Green  1.54"  2.67"

Valley Station 2.63"  3.63"
Camp Horine  2.34"  3.29"
PRP  2.32"  3.23'
Fairdale  2.28"  3.16"

Check out more later today.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATED Sun am at 3:00est...
Cold front pushing through western KY. Cadiz at 70 degrees and dry. About 25 miles west at Benton, it's 47 with 1.20" rain since midnight.
Crittenden County near Marion has had 1.73" since midnight for a Thr-Sun total of 4.86".
The heavy rain shield is on the move. Just started at my house several minutes ago with a quick half-inch of rain in southwest Jefferson county near Valley Station. Several locations in far west KY reporting amounts in excess of 1-2" since midnight. Temps plummeting behind front now in the low 40's in the farthest western parts of KY.

------------------------------------------------
UPDATED Sat pm at 9:00est...Since Thursday
Fulton County near Hickman 2.65"
Union County near Morganfield 2.89"
Crittenden County near Marion 2.55"
McLean County near Calhoun 1.75"
Graves County near Mayfield 1.43"

Louisville 0.88"
Lexington 0.67"
Bowling Green 1.13"

Morris Forman 1.00"
Valley Station 0.99"
Camp Horine 0.95"
PRP 0.91"
Fairdale 0.88"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In Jefferson County KY...based on MSD rain gauges since Midnight Thursday morning

Since Thursday...
Camp Horine (southern) 0.94"
Morris Foreman (Algonquin Pkwy) 0.95"
Hite Creek (northeast) 0.82"
Fairdale 0.88"
Valley Station 0.98"
Lea Ann Way (near Jefferson Mall) 0.74"
St Matthews 0.78"
PRP 0.88"

Louisville 0.88"
Bowling Green 1.09"
Lexington 0.41"

McLean County 1.63"
Crittenden County 2.08"
Trigg County 1.41"
Marshall County 1.42"

MS

Rain And Warm Temperatures for January 9-13

HPC shows the well-advertised wet pattern getting ready for splashdown. Perhaps 2-4" rain should accumulate, especially from I-65 west over the next 5-7 days.

Some Mets are expecting strong to isolated severe storms by Thursday. Right now, SPC has posted a very low probability for far west KY. However, adjustments will be made as additional atmospheric data and timing issues continue to be updated. So stay tuned.

The above normal temperatures should continue at least through the rest of this week. Get out there and get those outside chores done while you can.

MS

January Thaw And Then More Snowfall?

Temperatures are poised to spike during the next week, providing a welcome relief for those of us with 'cabin fever'. However, a wet pattern looks in store for many as well.

The CPC shows a wetter pattern through mid-month. Also, the first part of the period, which includes this upcoming week's warmth, should transition to a colder mid-month.

If the below normal air arrives as anticipated, look for a cold and snowy second part of the month.

Meanwhile, enjoy the nice warmup coming.

MS

MikeS 66 Index December 2012 Report

I compiled the data for the month of December at the 66 locations I've chosen across the United States. Although not official, the index takes a look at the climate regions across the country and calculates the temperature and precipitation data for the month. This in turn will help me as I compare the data to various teleconnections such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and others for the month.

Summary:
Despite a cold pattern for many during the last week of the month, December 2012 was a warm month for much of the United States. The U.S. monthly temperature report from my index was 40.6 or 3.8 above normal.

Also, precipitation amounts varied across the country. However, compilation of the data shows that the U.S. was slightly wetter than normal.

A look at specifics by climate region includes:
The northeast was wetter and warmer than normal. Coastal areas of Maine and Massachusetts contributed the wettest amounts.
The southern part was drier and warmer than normal. Oklahoma and southern Texas contributed the driest amounts.
Although the High Plains and the West were cooler than the rest of the United States, their temperatures still showed above average, just not as much. It was wet, though, along the coast from Washington to California.
While the Midwest basked in overall warmth, some of the above normal precipitation took place in the form of snow.Parts of Wisconsin and the favored areas along the Great Lakes recorded between 20-30 inches for the month.
Finally, the Southeast generally enjoyed warmer than normal readings. Rainfall was a welcome sight for some areas of drought-stricken Georgia. However, southern Florida recorded very little rainfall.

MS