Tuesday, February 14, 2012 - Valentine's Day: Valentine's Slushfest Gives Way To Drizzle, But More Rain & An Iso. T-Storm Possible In 36-48 Hrs.
Good Tuesday morning, and Happy Valentine's Day!
This morning, snow fell in Lexington from around 3:30 AM until around 6:45 AM, before a changeover to rain. Some sleet was mixed in, during the transition in some spots. The snow really just left a slushy dusting in Lexington, with a trace reported at the Blue Grass Airport at 7 AM, shortly after the changeover. We did take a couple of reports of a light accumulation of snow in Georgetown, Scott County, where the ground was covered with a heavy, wet snow.
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Now, the wintry mix is crossing northeastern Kentucky, with rain showers covering most areas south of I-64 across the eastern third of the Bluegrass State. Lots of low clouds and some patchy drizzle will linger through the afternoon as temperatures climb to near 40°.
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After a quieter night with some patchy freezing fog and lows near 30°, we'll warm all the way up to near 50° on Wednesday. Scattered rain showers will arrive with the next storm system on Wednesday evening and Wednesday night. Instability will be very limited (almost non-existent), but there will be a strengthening low-level jet, which is a stronger wind a few thousand feet above the ground. Around 5,000', winds will blow from the south at about 60 mph at 7 AM on Thursday. This will really help to feed moisture-rich air into Kentucky, and may be enough to help fuel the development of an isolated thunderstorm or two, embedded within the rain.
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Courtesy: Penn State Univ. Dept. of Meteorology
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So while the more legitimate severe weather chances will remain closer to the Gulf Coast, some in Kentucky could hear a rumble of thunder early on Thursday.
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Rainfall will be most widespread in the early to midmorning time frame on Thursday. Here is this morning's GFS forecast for rainfall between 7 AM and 10 AM on Thursday.
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Courtesy: Penn State Univ. Dept. of Meteorology
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Things will remain fairly active, although with our mid to late-week storm system, we're talking about rain instead of snow.
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Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your Valentine's Day.
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Geoff
