Rukavina's Extreme Weather and Climate Blog

Credit: Midwest Regional Climate Center. Click for larger view. Tuesday PM Update: The heaviest rain has come and left it's mark over the past weekend bringing flooded out roads and forcing people from their homes in parts of Missouri and Illinois. The slow, steady rain is starting to wind down and a break in the weather is expected for a day or two. Epic rainfall totals have made headlines for the past few days and record-breaking numbers are becoming more likely as we wrap up Meteorological Summer and the month of August. a fairly large swath of more than 6" of rain has been measured from Southern Indians down through Southern Illinois and into Southeast Missouri just over the past 7 days as see in the graphic above. Even a few specks of white appear in IL/MO which indicates more than 10" or rain during that 7-day period of time (mainly Sat-Tue). Here are a few official 4-Day totals listed by the National Weather Service in Paducah, KY and weatherunderground.com. ...

HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND. Saturday PM Update: A Flash Flood WATCH has been extended until Tuesday morning at 7AM. Reports of severe flash flooding have been relayed to the National Weather Service in Paducah from areas across Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri. Up to 6" of rain has fallen over some of those areas with more to come. Here is a look at the latest projected rainfall totals. Notice that the corridor of higher totals has shifted a few miles to the NW of the OH River. South of the OH River, heavy rain will still be possible but more scattered and not as long duration as to the north.  Projected rainfall totals from Saturday night through Tuesday morning. Compare this graphic to the one below. The highest totals are expected NW of the Ohio River. Those of you in areas where rain has persisted on Saturday and are expected to see significant additional rain should take steps to make an evacuation plan in the event you need to leave for hi...

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...

Please be sure to have a way to receive severe weather alerts for the holiday weekend, especially Sunday and Monday. Sunday Afternoon Update:  A Tornado Watch has been issued for most of the Local 6 area until 10PM. A warm front sits across Southern Illinois and Indiana allowing for a more unstable air mass across IL/KY this afternoon. The Storm Prediction Center has been watching our region for the past couple of day for the threat of severe storms this afternoon and evening. An isolated tornado is also possible. Damaging winds will be the primary threat with storms that develop. Here is the latest map the Storm Prediction Center put out mid-afternoon. Be alert that conditions will change quickly this afternoon and evening and those who are spending time outdoors or on area lakes should be especially vigilant. Friday PM Update: Unfortunate timing with the holiday weekend finally here but a chance of severe storms has crept into the forecast for Sunday the 3rd and M...

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...

Tuesday Morning Update: The Storm Prediction Center has redefined the outlook areas for today and Wednesday. A few storms this afternoon may reach severe limits, mainly with the threat of large hail and damaging winds. The overall severe weather risk remains to the west today but then transitions into our area on Wednesday. Be alert to quickly changing conditions later tonight and during the day on Wednesday. Below is a group of links to severe weather preparedness to get yourself ready at home and work before storms roll into the area.  Monday Evening Update: Spring is in full swing and during the heart of severe weather season, a stormy weather pattern is setting up for the next several days. There are a few times where some of these storms will push severe limits and reviewing your severe weather safety plans at home and work will prepare you in the event you need to take quick action.  The highest risk for strong storms arrives late on Tuesday and throughout t...