Tag: Weather

WINTER STORM TO BRING SNOW…SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN…
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-110530-
/O.NEW.KLMK.WS.A.0001.080211T2100Z-080212T1200Z/
ORANGE IN-WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-DUBOIS IN-
CRAWFORD IN-PERRY IN-HARRISON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN-HANCOCK KY-
BRECKINRIDGE KY-MEADE KY-OHIO KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BULLITT KY-
JEFFERSON KY-OLDHAM KY-TRIMBLE KY-HENRY KY-SHELBY KY-FRANKLIN KY-
SCOTT KY-HARRISON KY-SPENCER KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY-
FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY-NICHOLAS KY-NELSON KY-WASHINGTON KY-
MERCER KY-JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY-LARUE KY-MARION KY-BOYLE KY-
GARRARD KY-MADISON KY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…PAOLI…SALEM…SCOTTSBURG…MADISON…
JASPER…MARENGO…TELL CITY…CORYDON…NEW ALBANY…
JEFFERSONVILLE…HAWESVILLE…HARDINSBURG…BRANDENBURG…
BEAVER DAM…LEITCHFIELD…ELIZABETHTOWN…FORT KNOX…
MOUNT WASHINGTON…SHEPHERDSVILLE…LOUISVILLE…LA GRANGE…
BEDFORD…NEW CASTLE…SHELBYVILLE…FRANKFORT…GEORGETOWN…
CYNTHIANA…TAYLORSVILLE…LAWRENCEBURG…VERSAILLES…
LEXINGTON…PARIS…CARLISLE…BARDSTOWN…SPRINGFIELD…
HARRODSBURG…NICHOLASVILLE…WINCHESTER…HODGENVILLE…
LEBANON…DANVILLE…LANCASTER…RICHMOND
428 PM EST SUN FEB 10 2008 /328 PM CST SUN FEB 10 2008/
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.
SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON ON MONDAY TO THE
NORTH OF A SLOW MOVING WARM FRONT. THE SNOW MAY BECOME A MIX OF
SNOW…SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN MONDAY NIGHT AS WEAK LOW PRESSURE
MOVES UP THE FRONT INTO KENTUCKY.
A WINTER STORM WATCH IS ADVANCED NOTICE THAT SEVERE WINTER
WEATHER IS POSSIBLE. UNTREATED ROADS WILL LIKELY BECOME SLICK AND
HAZARDOUS MONDAY NIGHT AS TEMPERATURES HOVER JUST BELOW THE
FREEZING MARK.
$$
DK/AML
Issuing Weather Forecast Office Homepage

VERY WINDY CONDITIONS TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY…
.A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT WITH STRONG
WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS DEVELOPING BEHIND THE FRONT. STRONG WINDS
WILL PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS BEFORE
DIMINISHING SUNDAY MORNING.
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>025-027>043-045>049-053>057-
063>067-076>078-081-082-091700-
/O.NEW.KLMK.WI.Y.0003.080210T0300Z-080210T1700Z/
ORANGE IN-WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-DUBOIS IN-
CRAWFORD IN-PERRY IN-HARRISON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN-HANCOCK KY-
BRECKINRIDGE KY-MEADE KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BULLITT KY-
JEFFERSON KY-OLDHAM KY-TRIMBLE KY-HENRY KY-SHELBY KY-FRANKLIN KY-
SCOTT KY-HARRISON KY-SPENCER KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY-
FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY-NICHOLAS KY-NELSON KY-WASHINGTON KY-
MERCER KY-JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY-LARUE KY-MARION KY-BOYLE KY-
GARRARD KY-MADISON KY-HART KY-GREEN KY-TAYLOR KY-CASEY KY-
LINCOLN KY-METCALFE KY-ADAIR KY-RUSSELL KY-CUMBERLAND KY-
CLINTON KY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…PAOLI…SALEM…SCOTTSBURG…MADISON…
JASPER…MARENGO…TELL CITY…CORYDON…NEW ALBANY…
JEFFERSONVILLE…HAWESVILLE…HARDINSBURG…BRANDENBURG…
LEITCHFIELD…ELIZABETHTOWN…FORT KNOX…MOUNT WASHINGTON…
SHEPHERDSVILLE…LOUISVILLE…LA GRANGE…BEDFORD…NEW CASTLE…
SHELBYVILLE…FRANKFORT…GEORGETOWN…CYNTHIANA…TAYLORSVILLE…
LAWRENCEBURG…VERSAILLES…LEXINGTON…PARIS…CARLISLE…
BARDSTOWN…SPRINGFIELD…HARRODSBURG…NICHOLASVILLE…
WINCHESTER…HODGENVILLE…LEBANON…DANVILLE…LANCASTER…
RICHMOND…MUNFORDVILLE…GREENSBURG…CAMPBELLSVILLE…LIBERTY…
STANFORD…EDMONTON…COLUMBIA…JAMESTOWN…BURKESVILLE…ALBANY
328 AM EST SAT FEB 9 2008 /228 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2008/
…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM EST /9 PM CST/ THIS EVENING
TO 12 PM EST /11 AM CST/ SUNDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A WIND
ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM EST /9 PM CST/ THIS
EVENING TO 12 PM EST /11 AM CST/ SUNDAY.
WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 50 MPH
WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL
DECREASE SOMEWHAT SUNDAY MORNING…BUT REMAIN BREEZY THROUGH
SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
WINDS THIS STRONG MAY CAUSE MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE WITHOUT EXTRA
PRECAUTIONS. MOTORISTS…ESPECIALLY IN HIGH PROFILE
VEHICLES…SHOULD USE CAUTION AND REMAIN ALERT FOR SUDDEN GUSTS OR
CROSS WINDS.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO…LOCAL MEDIA OR
WEATHER.GOV/LOUISVILLE ON THE INTERNET FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION
AND FORECASTS.
$$
Issuing Weather Forecast Office Homepage

Diana () left a comment to my previous post, asking me the following:

So what do you think about the official f2 being here… Will it make a difference in how all the people who had reported damage will be treated? Do you think there is any underlying damage that has not been found yet.

My response was too long to post as a comment, so I have pasted it here, below:

Well, as a guy who’s interested in disastrous weather, I’m excited to find that the storm spawned a tornado with some significant power, instead of just some strong winds. The last tornado we experienced was very short lived and only an F0, back in ’96. If you remember that one, it didn’t do anything major, except destroy a few signs out at the square, and rip a few shingles (as I recall). I’m glad to know that there weren’t any serious injuries and that there weren’t any fatalities (other than livestock). But, I do kind of wish that it had been a bit stronger. Not that I wish destruction against anyone, but I would like to see the community pull together for a disaster again.

Of course the people involved (meaning victims) will have some different treatment for a short period of time. Friends and family will be doing and giving so much to these people over the next few weeks, until they get tired of it. Or, I hope that would be the scenario, anyway. I wouldn’t want to think that these people will be forgotten about.

With any disaster there are hidden damages which will surface later. There will be something to appear later, and who knows how big it will be, or whether it will have any effect on any lives. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Other “hidden” problems did surface from this storm, though. I know that you were asleep when things went down, and that you were pretty much still asleep when things calmed back down, so I really don’t know how much of it you remember. So, I guess I’ll try and run through everything again, as I know it.

When the warning was issued, all on duty officers scrambled to different locations to act as spotters. Within a few minutes, the bulk of the storm ripped through town, power was knocked out, and dispatch became flooded with calls. All officers dispersed, and responded where they could. About twenty minutes later, when things began to become more organized, I went to the office to answer the phones should any calls come in. I was there until 7:30 or so, about a half-hour after power was restored. Roughly six hours of excitement. A lot happened during that short amount of time. A lot went wrong.

There were two things which I know went wrong long before the storm hit, which might not have made a difference in what all transpired that morning–one being the NWS eSpotter system. That morning the NWS realized that they were having issues with the system and were attempting to have it up and running before anything happened. I do not know whether it became functional or not–I was having issues, but am not sure whether it was on my end or theirs.

The other thing which went awry before the storm involves KYWINS. The morning before was the first morning in which I attempted to login. I was able to login, but was unable to download the client list, and was unable to chat with anyone. I do know that the system recognized me, for dad told me he had been sending me alerts via the messenger, but I never received any of them. I know this issue is on Ky’s end and not mine, because I have attempted a login using his computer, and have the same issue using my account.

An issue which will likely arise (meaning: I’m sure someone will cause a fuss) is related to the fact that we hadn’t activated any spotters. Spotter activation wouldn’t have helped to begin with, due to the fact that it was night. It is impossible to spot a tornado at night. Another reason why spotters weren’t activated is that it is understood that spotters in Harrison County are self-activating. All of the spotters on the roster are involved in emergency operations or are avid scanner enthusiasts. At each training session, it has been made clear that for night-time storms, spotters are encouraged to stay at home, and keep an eye out. If the spotters follow this rule, they will be safe, and offer the county better coverage. It had been understood that in Cynthiana, the police department would act as spotters. This was apparently forgotten, because Laytart did not dispatch the units to spot until the alert came through.

Speaking of dispatch, that’s where most of that morning’s issues lie. When the power went out, dispatch essentially died. It has been this way ever since the E911 system was implemented. Our dispatch center does not have an adequate backup power supply. The computers and consoles are on a UPS system which allows barely enough time for someone to turn on the generator. Other “non-essential” and high-power equipment aren’t attached to the batteries, and typically fault when powered back on. If you’ll remember, I had told you once before that several years ago McGuffin allocated a generator which was set to auto-power any attached system when normal sources shut off. This generator was more than able to serve the task of keeping dispatch running–it had operated as the backup system for Bluegrass Airport’s runway lights. As I recall, the city said “thanks, but no thanks” and gave it to Harrison Machine Shop. (I may be wrong.) As a consequence, a good portion of the dispatch equipment was rendered powerless–including the phone system. Dispatch also lost contact with surrounding counties’ agencies where a few radios faulted from the disruption.

Dad was busy most of the morning running around trying to keep the radios working–that’s why I was sitting at the office to answer the phone. He ran to the towers to deliver/fire-up the generators (except for the city fire dept.–they actually handle it on their own), and ran to dispatch to aid in resetting and troubleshooting the equipment.

Other issues? Plenty. How about our understaffed police department? and the fact that we don’t have a take-home fleet? Other officers came on duty, but the few that were in town had to be picked up by those on duty, while others had to drive in. The sheriff’s dept. didn’t have this issue.

What about the government? Brown was out of town–big surprise. Alex, however, was up and came in as soon as he could–he stopped by the office to see what was going on, and to find out what he needed to do.

Why is it that county government runs so smoothly, and the city government has so many issues? I’d wager that the issues with dispatch wouldn’t have happened if it were controlled by the county. Yes, it’s a “joint” venture, but the city has control–it’s attached to the police department. Don’t get me wrong, I do not want to bad-mouth CPD, but they are heavily limited by the city.

I dunno… I could ramble on forever about this…

My biggest sticking point is the lack of organization within the city when it comes to any disaster. Similar events unfolded during the ice-storm and the flood. Harrison County has learned a lot. Cynthiana has not. I can’t wait until they day comes where we either get a good mayor, or the city commission votes to approach the county with the proposal of a merged government. (Yes, the city has to make the decision first. So, chances are, it’ll never happen.)

So, will the families be treated differently? Yes. Maybe their voices will be heard if they decide to call for better organization, though I doubt it, where they aren’t citizens of the City of Cynthiana. Are there any unseen damages which have taken place, or will take place in light of the storm? Undoubtedly. The big question, which you failed to ask, is whether anything has been, or can be learned from it. Only time will tell. Unfortunately, time hasn’t helped us yet.

Further comments are welcome.

The National Weather Service has been out surveying damage caused by last night’s/this morning’s events. Teams from the NWS will be out again tomorrow to survey damage again. Still no word (that I know of) as to whether we saw tornadic activity here.

I spent most of the day sleeping after having been awake throughout the night. Once things began to calm (weather wise) I went to the EMA office to assist. I left around 7:30 this morning. I would’ve returned after having napped a bit, however it proved impossible with Diana starting a new job this evening, and the kids being home. I hope to get back in touch with the office tomorrow to hear some more about what happened.
I did manage to take a few minutes to drive around town and see some of the damage. Words really can’t describe any of it. I hope to be able to get pics of everything tomorrow as well. I also plan to write a post later (i don’t know when, but hopefully before the weekend is out) which will have links to all the reports from the media and anything else I can find.

 TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 121 AM EST WED FEB 6 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR… NORTHWESTERN BOURBON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… EASTERN BOYLE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… FAYETTE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF LEXINGTON… GARRARD COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… WESTERN HARRISON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… JESSAMINE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… NORTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… EASTERN MERCER COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… EASTERN SCOTT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN… SOUTHEASTERN WOODFORD COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY… NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY…

* UNTIL 145 AM EST…

* AT 120 AM EST…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 14 MILES NORTH OF GEORGETOWN TO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF NICHOLASVILLE TO 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DANVILLE… MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS WILL BE NEAR… STANFORD…LEXINGTON AND LANCASTER BY 130 AM EST… LANCASTER BY 135 AM EST…

SEVERAL CIRCULATIONS ARE LOCATED WITHIN THIS LINE…SO EVERYONE IN THE TORNADO WARNING SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY! IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO…WIDESPREAD HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. SEEK SHELTER NOW!

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE ANY TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING…IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EST WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND KENTUCKY.

LAT…LON 3790 8437 3750 8447 3753 8486 3755 8487 3780 8475 3849 8457 3857 8433 TIME…MOT…LOC 0621Z 265DEG 59KT 3841 8450 3799 8463 3758 8483

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 42 UNTIL 6 AM EST /5 AM CST/ EARLY THIS MORNING WHICH REPLACES A PORTION OF TORNADO WATCH 39. THE NEW WATCH IS VALID FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN KENTUCKY THE NEW WATCH INCLUDES 18 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY
BOURBON KY CLARK KY FAYETTE KY GARRARD KY HARRISON KY JESSAMINE KY MADISON KY NICHOLAS KY
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
ADAIR KY ALLEN KY BARREN KY CASEY KY CLINTON KY CUMBERLAND KY LINCOLN KY METCALFE KY MONROE KY RUSSELL KY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…ALBANY… BURKESVILLE…CARLISLE… COLUMBIA… CYNTHIANA…EDMONTON…GLASGOW… JAMESTOWN… LANCASTER…LEXINGTON… LIBERTY…NICHOLASVILLE…PARIS… RICHMOND…SCOTTSVILLE…STANFORD… TOMPKINSVILLE AND WINCHESTER.TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 42
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1240 AM EST WED FEB 6 2008

TORNADO WATCH 42 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 AM EST FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

KYC001-003-009-011-017-019-023-025-043-045-049-051-053-057-063-
065-067-069-079-089-097-109-113-115-121-125-127-129-135-137-147-
151-153-161-165-169-171-173-175-181-189-197-199-201-203-205-207-
231-235-237-061100-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0042.080206T0540Z-080206T1100Z/

KY
. KENTUCKY COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ADAIR ALLEN BARREN
BATH BOURBON BOYD
BRACKEN BREATHITT CARTER
CASEY CLARK CLAY
CLINTON CUMBERLAND ELLIOTT
ESTILL FAYETTE FLEMING
GARRARD GREENUP HARRISON
JACKSON JESSAMINE JOHNSON
KNOX LAUREL LAWRENCE
LEE LEWIS LINCOLN
MADISON MAGOFFIN MASON
MCCREARY MENIFEE METCALFE
MONROE MONTGOMERY MORGAN
NICHOLAS OWSLEY POWELL
PULASKI ROBERTSON ROCKCASTLE
ROWAN RUSSELL WAYNE
WHITLEY WOLFE
$$

As always, with sever weather in the area, Chris Bailey is hosting another “Live Blogging” session for tonights storms and tornado threat.

/O.NEW.KLMK.TO.A.0039.080206T0110Z- 080206T0700Z/

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 39 IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM EST /1 AM CST/ WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 10 COUNTIES

IN SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA

CLARK IN CRAWFORD IN DUBOIS IN FLOYD IN HARRISON IN JEFFERSON IN ORANGE IN PERRY IN SCOTT IN WASHINGTON IN

IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 49 COUNTIES

IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY

ANDERSON KY BOURBON KY BOYLE KY CLARK KY FAYETTE KY FRANKLIN KY GARRARD KY HARRISON KY JESSAMINE KY MADISON KY MERCER KY NICHOLAS KY SCOTT KY WOODFORD KY

IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY

BRECKINRIDGE KY BULLITT KY HARDIN KY HENRY KY JEFFERSON KY LARUE KY MEADE KY NELSON KY OLDHAM KY SHELBY KY SPENCER KY TRIMBLE KY WASHINGTON KY

IN NORTHWEST KENTUCKY

HANCOCK KY OHIO KY

IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY

ADAIR KY ALLEN KY BARREN KY BUTLER KY CASEY KY CLINTON KY CUMBERLAND KY EDMONSON KY GRAYSON KY GREEN KY HART KY LINCOLN KY LOGAN KY MARION KY METCALFE KY MONROE KY RUSSELL KY SIMPSON KY TAYLOR KY WARREN KY

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…ALBANY… BARDSTOWN…BEAVER DAM… BEDFORD… BOWLING GREEN…BRANDENBURG… BROWNSVILLE… BURKESVILLE… CAMPBELLSVILLE…CARLISLE…COLUMBIA… CORYDON… CYNTHIANA…DANVILLE… EDMONTON…ELIZABETHTOWN…FORT KNOX… FRANKFORT…FRANKLIN… GEORGETOWN…GLASGOW…GREENSBURG… HARDINSBURG…HARRODSBURG… HAWESVILLE…HODGENVILLE… JAMESTOWN…JASPER…JEFFERSONVILLE… LA GRANGE…LANCASTER… LAWRENCEBURG…LEBANON…LEITCHFIELD… LEWISPORT…LEXINGTON… LIBERTY… LOUISVILLE…MADISON…MARENGO… MORGANTOWN… MOUNT WASHINGTON… MUNFORDVILLE…NEW ALBANY…NEW CASTLE… NICHOLASVILLE…PAOLI… PARIS…RICHMOND…RUSSELLVILLE… SALEM… SCOTTSBURG…SCOTTSVILLE… SHELBYVILLE…SHEPHERDSVILLE… SPRINGFIELD…STANFORD… TAYLORSVILLE…TELL CITY… TOMPKINSVILLE…VERSAILLES AND WINCHESTER.