Winter Weather? More of the Same

Keith Todd with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet attended a Winter Weather Workshop presented by the National Weather Service office in Paducah. His report below give us insight to what is expected for the winter months as well as where we stand now compared to last year.

If you liked the weather last winter, you’ll love this winter. That’s pretty much the evaluation of Pat Spoden, Science and Operations Officer with the National Weather Service Office in Paducah. The evaluation was part of a morning of weather event assessments and evaluations during the annual Winter Weather Workshop in Grand Rivers. The event helps area emergency management personnel and transportation officials prepare for coming winter weather.

Last winter snowfall in Paducah came in at just over 19 inches, about double the normal 10.5 inch average for the region. Snow in the Henderson-Evansville area ran just above average for the year while some parts of Southern Illinois were slightly below average. Spoden says the alignment of overall weather systems for this winter season is shaping up to be very similar to last year, although some warmer weather could bring thunderstorms into the mix for the winter months.

Average temps were below normal last winter. Precipitation was also below normal until about the end of February when ran ramped up to create the record spring flooding. Hydrologist Mary Lamm said the area received the equivalent of 63% of the normal annual rainfall over the three months leading up to the Great Flood of 2011. With 16 inches of rain, April 2011 came in as the wettest month ever for the Paducah area. The flood set river level records at Smithland and Cairo.

Warning Coordinating Meteorologist Rick Shanklin noted that tornadoes were up this year with a total of 78, well above the previous record of 40 and the yearly average of 21. He noted that there were no fatalities due to tornadoes in the Paducah office service area over the last year.

At the end of the winter weather briefing, Kentucky Region One Emergency Management Director Mark Garland presented the Paducah Weather Service Office with a special award for the staff’s dedication during what has been a difficult couple of years with major weather events. Garland noted that area emergency management agencies depend on information provided by employees of the Paducah weather office to help prepare an appropriate response to a variety of weather-related events.

The Paducah Weather Service Office issued 1,100 advisories and alerts over the last year.