Western Kentucky saw record rainfall totals in the month of February and severe weather season is gearing up for the area, according to Warning Coordination Meteorologist Rick Shanklin.
Shanklin presented to the Pennyrile Area Development District Board of Directors Monday afternoon and says severe weather ramps up for the National Weather Service Office in Paducah’s service area during the months of April and May. He says before that though, western Kentucky saw a historic amount of rainfall in the past few weeks—up to a foot in some areas.
He says not only is that a flooding problem, when severe weather starts up, the saturated ground makes it easier for strong wind to uproot trees.
He says the amount of tornadoes the area sees is also at its highest for the year during those months—so he urges people to have an emergency plan ready and multiple ways of receiving weather alerts.
People are far more likely to die due to tornadoes during the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. so Shanklin says if you know it’s supposed to storm that night, make sure you have something that will wake you up if a warning is issued. He also reminds motorists to never drive through flooded road ways, as that could lead to a deadly situation.