Central and eastern Kentucky could see some severe weather this evening. Rain is expected to start in the overnight and accumulations could be as high half an inch.
Much of eastern Kentucky was drenched by heavy rain in mid-February. John Pelton is the lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Jackson. He said the region is mostly in the clear this evening.
“The threat looks to be focused little closer to that low track, kind’ve closer to the Ohio River. So, kind’ve from about Interstate 64 to the north and west, that area looks to have a higher potential to have those concerns and that extends back to portions of western and central Kentucky.”
Pelton said this type of weather is unusual for this time of year.
“We’ll see another round of showers and thunderstorms after a lull in the shower activity. That system is strong for this time of year, particularly for this far to the south and east.”
On Friday, there is potential for severe thunderstorms, but the real threat is going to come from high winds. Pelton said these could cause some problems.
“You couldn’t rule out a tornado or even some large hail, maybe an inch in diameter maybe a little larger than that. Definitely some dynamic weather coming up and residents should pay attention of any watches and warnings that might come out with the thunderstorm activity.”
Areas could see gusts up to 60 miles per hour. He said He says people need to be prepared.
“There could be some power outages, so have some flashlights and things like that handy as well. Have multiple ways to receive warnings, local media, NOAA has a weather radio, those types of things for receiving severe thunderstorm warnings or watches that might be issued.”
Pelton says most of the rain will fall around central and northern Kentucky, but eastern parts of the state could encounter locally heavy rainfall.
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