Rukavina's Extreme Weather and Climate Blog

It happens every few years or so...the uneasy "earthquake swarms" that erupt on the New Madrid Earthquake Zone right here in the Local 6 area. I think many of us like to put out of our minds that we live on one of the most active fault zones in the United States but the reality is that we record hundreds of very small tremors each year that we just can't feel. Thanks to an increase in technology and social media, they are getting more attention each time they occur. Here is a quick glance at the past 30 days worth of earthquakes registered with the USGS for our region. (You can click the images to enlarge.) These tremors range from 1.1 to 2.9 in magnitude, most of them either too small or too deep to feel on the surface of the earth. A cluster of earthquakes of this magnitude over a relatively shorter period of time is known as a "swarm". Most geologists agree that this is not necessarily a precursor to a larger quake and equally does ...

Climate Central - State of KY Report Card - Full Report When it comes to responding to inland flooding disasters, Kentucky is spot-on. Prepareing for future disasters with a long-term plan is a different story and we know we can do A LOT BETTER! For the first time Climate Central released report cards featuring how well each of the 50 states prepares for current hazards and future climate change. A closer look reveals relatively bad grades for states in the Local 6 area. Missouri was at the bottom of the 4-state area coming in with a grade of "F". Kentucky and Illinois followed with a grade of "D" while Tennessee earned highest marks in the region with a "C". The nearly failing grades in Kentucky showed up when looking at future disasters, planning, and long-term preparedness statewide.  The graphic above shows the breakdown of the grades assigned to the different climate related disasters deemed future risks. The same study/grading showed Kentucky...