The risk for severe weather may have decreased for western Kentucky, but the National Weather Service in Paducah warns that the threat still remains and a flash flood watch is still in place from 6 p.m. Friday until 12 a.m. Sunday.
Western Kentucky is now under a slight risk for severe weather. In a conference call Friday, Hydrologist Mary Lamm says another round of heavy rain will begin Friday night and the western Kentucky region could see another 1-2 inches of rain.
Any rain that falls will find saturated ground and will only exacerbate flooding concerns the region has experienced the last several weeks with one of the wettest Februarys on record. Water is likely to pool quickly in low-lying and flood- prone areas and rivers, creeks and streams will rise again. She says the good news is that after the system moves through Saturday evening, things should dry out some.
As for the potential for severe weather Saturday, Lead Forecaster Chris Noles says the potential is still very much present for the area to receive severe thunderstorms. He says damaging winds are the primary threat, and they certainly can’t rule out the possibility of tornadoes.
He says the timing for when severe weather may occur will be in the afternoon and early evening hours.
Noles says the winds have the potential to reach gusts of upwards of 70 miles per hour or more and with the ground being so wet already, trees could easily be uprooted in that event. The National Weather Service advises to have a plan in place should severe weather occur and be ready.
The forecast will likely continue to evolve, so stay tuned to the WHOP Family of Stations and monitor our websites and social media outlets for the latest information.