Rukavina's Extreme Weather and Climate Blog

SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING IS A WEATHER AUTHORITY ALERT DAY An expansive and dangerously cold airmass will settle in across the Mid-South for the next couple of days. At times, winds will also be breezy, combining for wind chill values below zero. The National Weather Service in Paducah and Memphis have issued a WIND CHILL ADVISORY that goes into effect Saturday evening at 6PM and runs through Tuesday morning. This includes the entire Local 6 area. This arctic air outbreak will bring the possibility of near record lows headed into the New Year and start to next week. Average low temperatures are typically at 26 degrees compared to the single digits expected the next several days. Making the cold weather even more dangerous, daytime highs will not reach above freezing until after the New Year.  The dangerously cold temperatures with lower wind chills will combine to make frostbite and hypothermia more likely. Wearing layers of clothing, covering extremities, ...

The frenzy picks up every year the week before Christmas at the mention of possible snow in the forecast...and when I say frenzy, I mean businesses start running promotions around it, people stock up on sleds and snowball makers, viewership of weather casts go up just to catch the latest inkling that snow might happen. I LOVE IT! Honestly I get caught up in the frenzy too since moving to the South where it's not common at all to have an official white Christmas with an inch of snow or more on the ground. But why? Christmas is ultimately the celebration of the birth of Christ. To many, a timeless miracle. Families identifying as religious or not are brought together and united. The festivities, parades, concerts and traditions surrounding the special day invoke a spirit of giving and love. The joy felt by believing and celebrating is why people can hardly wait to put up their decorations in November. The anticipation of Christmas Day builds as Santa and his reindeer travel th...

It happens with the flip of a switch every year in the Mid-South. It's not uncommon to go from very warm and stormy to blustery and cold (snowy) all in a matter of a week. That time has arrived for the Local 6 area this week and the big change will happen late Monday Night and Tuesday.  Warm and windy conditions ahead of a BIG cold front will lead to showers and storms tonight and early Tuesday. While wintery precipitation is not widely expected the stark change will come in temperatures behind the front. This shift in weather dynamics will not be short term. The overall weather pattern will favor a trough (dip) in the jetstream to allow cold, Canadian air to spill southward for several days and favor a few small chances for snow in the next seven days. (Snow lovers clap here!)  As we switch to this northwest flow regime, the cold air in place and energy swinging down through gives us our first chance at flurries and light snow Thursday night. A slightly bigger piece ...

The beauty of fall can also bring indicators of how the surrounding environment is preparing for the winter ahead. There are two popular folklore that people tend to look for this time of the year. The first being the woolly bear (Isabella tiger moth caterpillars). Their striking appearance usually catches your eye by late summer, thus spreading fears of an overly warm or particularly snowy winter. The fascination is fun but usually doesn't prove scientific unless you happen to find "the one" that lines up with the actual outcome of winter. They vary from region to region and are part of the bristled species of caterpillars which can lead to mis-identification. The image above shows how you can be sure you are spotting a true woolly bear and not an impostor.  To have some fun with the folklore of the little guy, here are a few tips:  Woolly bears have 13 segments made of black and orange and are known to represent the 13 weeks of winter. The front segment represen...

This video gives you an all-in-one look at how to safely view the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017! It will also feature all the amazing moments you don't want to miss! Courtesy: NASA Goddard Be sure to set your DVR or join us on Saturday August 19th at 5pm on WPSD Local 6 for a half hour special devoted to the eclipse experience here in our region.

Thursday Evening Update: A Flash Flood WATCH has been issued and includes all of Western Kentucky, NW Tennessee, MO Bootheel, and the Ohio River counties in Southern IL. The heaviest rain is expected to start moving in very late Thursday night and during the day on Friday. Highest rainfall totals are still expected to sit along the Ohio River counties back into the Bootheel. The specific placement of the highest rainfall may shift northward or southward depending on exact path of low pressure moving across our area and how fast the cold front to our north will advance tomorrow. Wednesday Evening Update: The remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy will begin to quickly impact the Local 6 area starting Thursday morning across the south half of the area then spreading northward. While we may see some periods of gusty winds, even a quick, short-lived tornadic spin-up, but the overwhelming threat to the entire are will be very heavy rain and flash flooding from Thursday into Friday ...

SATURDAY IS A WEATHER AUTHORITY ALERT DAY A rather strong storm system will take aim on the Local 6 area Saturday and Saturday night. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a MODERATE RISK for an outbreak of severe weather. Several rounds of storms will be possible and as many people are looking to get outdoors for the long holiday weekend, storms may threaten at times.  A first round is expected to moving through during the overnight hours Friday night into early Saturday morning with a low risk for severe. This changes dramatically Saturday afternoon and evening as a complex of storms develops over Missouri during the heat of the afternoon, while the atmosphere becomes highly unstable and ripe for widespread outbreak. This second round should move out by sunset while a third possible complex of storms develops again over Missouri and moves east from around 10pm into the very early morning hours of Sunday.  The weather may change very quickly wherever you are tomorrow ...