Doppler Dale's Weather Posts

Severe Weather Expected: OH/TN Valleys & Mississippi Delta Regions TODAY

2012-05-31T08:53:00.000-05:00

A strong cold front, located this morning from central Missouri to northwest Arkansas and northeastern Texas, will be heading eastward into a hot and moisture laden atmosphere across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys southward to the Mississippi Delta. The combination of the three will result in a large area of showers and t-storms with several becoming strong to severe with strong gusty winds and large hail the primary threats. Already, seeing development near the surface low at the tip of the cold front in central Missouri with a broader rain shield along and ahead of a warm front affecting the I80 corridor from eastern Missouri into the Chicagoland.

Further thunderstorm development will take place along and near the cold front in Southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and along the Mississippi river into the Mid-South between Noon-2 pm. These are the storms that will take on the stronger and potential severe characteristics. They will propagate eastward and will stretch from Ft. Campbell, Ky to Jackson, TN to Jackson, MS between 2pm-4pm.

The storms will begin to enter into the Tennessee Valley as evening arrives, stretching from Nashville, TN to Muscle Shoals, AL to Meridian, MS between 5pm-7pm. The heart of the Tennessee Valley will see the storms pass by between 7pm-9pm.

April 27, 2011 Tornado Outbreak: A Personal Look Back

2012-04-27T10:23:00.000-05:00

On this anniversary of the largest tornado outbreak since the Super Outbreak of April 3/4, 1974, I wanted to reflect back to remember those that lost their lives (322), were hurt and lost property. I also wanted to take a moment, the first since the event, to write down my remembrance of the events of the day. I will highlight some key events but for more specific details of the event that I may not mention here please be sure to visit the National Weather Service Huntsville Forecast Office's special look back page. Additionally, I will look at some of the education we received and what we should all have learned and be doing going forward.

One thing about this tornado outbreak that was a positive was the fact it did not occur as a complete surprise. As a meteorological community, this event was something initially detected as a possibility about a week in advance in some of the long range forecast models. As we drew closer and within a couple days, it was becoming clearer to the likelihood of a dangerous weather event in the near future. In fact, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), began to issue Moderate Risk of Severe Weather for a large area of the Southern Plains beginning on April 25th with the highest risk centered for the 25th over Arkansas. On the 26th, the risk was shifting eastward and was centered across the Mid-South. And on the 27th, a "High Risk" was issued, centered over the Tennessee Valley. The risk for tornadoes was also shown as 30% and later increased to 45%!

Because of the good handle we were having on the event in the days to come, we were well prepared as a meteorological team at WAAY-TV. We had a plan in place and new it was a day to have all hands on deck. Chief Meteorologist (CM) Brad Huffines and myself worked the evening prior and knew the upcoming day was going to be quite active. However, we were anticipating the event to begin in the afternoon hours. As a result, we were planning on getting as much rest as possible the night of the 26th into the morning of the 27th and then were expected to arrive at the station around noon. This changed, though, during the morning of the 27th.

The one BIG surprise this event had was the strength of the initial line of storms that passed through the Tennessee Valley during the early morning hours. This line delivered the first tornado warnings and tornadoes to Lincoln County, Tennessee; Lauderdale County, Marshall County, Cullman County and Dekalb County in Alabama, between 4 am and 7:30 am. I was awakened by my NOAA Weather Radio for the tornado warning that was issued for Marshall County around 6:30 am, to my surprise. So I took a few moments to look at the situation from home and released this was the beginning and got going and was at the station by 8 am.

I happened to arrive just as the atmosphere was quieting down for the first time. This did not last long, though. The activity began to redevelop and organize again around 10 am and by 11:15 the next round of tornado warnings began with the first of the day being issued for Limestone County. Because we had seen the storms redeveloping in the hour prior to our midday news, we decided as a team to go on air in weather coverage. With Haley Baker anchoring, CM Brad Huffines and I sat at the news desk with meteorologists Chris Davis and Gary Dobbs anchoring from the weather center. This allowed for us to keep a good handle on this next wave of storms. My responsibility was to monitor the information coming into the NWS from storm spotters and to do some analytical work to try to stay ahead. That left the other three meteorologists to do more of the on-air work and radar control.

The one thing I remember during this wave was the concern of a possible tornado striking near Buckhorn H.S in northeast Madison County. Luckily, it did not cause any injuries to the students. Finally, shortly after noon this event was winding down. CM Huffines was talking with me thinking that maybe this had worked the atmosphere over and would prevent the Major Outbreak we were concerned with. At the time, I was in the process of doing some new analytical work and it quickly became apparent to me that the atmosphere was not worked over and in fact was rebounding like a rubber band. Key values that we look at work for severe weather, which had briefly gone down, were now rapidly rising including the forecast tornado potential. At this point, we quickly chugged down some lunch while we had a brief break. We also agreed as a team to send home meteorologist Gary Dobbs who had a nearly hour commute ahead of him to his home in Mt. Hope. Little did we know this would be something we wished had not happened. Additionally, by this time, already 40 tornadoes had struck across central Alabama to southern Tennessee and 28 of those had been in the Tennessee Valley!

Our rest did not last long. The main event was on the way and it started with a tornado developing in Cullman county around 2:30 pm. This tornado was well videoed because of ABC33/40's cam in the city of Cullman. As we were covering this tornado attention quickly had to also go to a storm that was developing and producing a tornado in east-central Mississippi. This storm then would become the EF-5 that would strike a path of nearly 107 miles and impact several communities including Hackleburg, Phil Campbell, Mt. Hope, Tanner and the Anderson Hills subdivision in Madison County.

This tornado became the key of our attention as the storm was exiting Hackleburg and it was clear on radar that there was a clear signature of a debris ball. Shortly there after, we were on the phone with meteorologist Gary Dobbs who was watching the storm from his front porch. It was to his southwest and he was giving a play-by-play. He said he could see the wall cloud but did not see the funnel. The unfortunate thing was the funnel was so large he indeed was see it but thought it was the wall cloud instead. Before he knew it he told he had to take cover and we lost contact. It would be several hours before we could make any contact with him. Luckily he survived, thanks to his tornado shelter, but he did suffer some injuries and lost his home.

I remember that at this point, I felt helpless. I was concerned about a colleague and I was watching on radar a storm that I knew was causing horrific damage and possible loss of live. All we could do was say where it was, where it was going and for anyone in its path to get to tornadic shelter. The debris signature continued with the storm right through highly populated Madison County. A pure helplessness continued to bear down on me but I knew I could not so my feelings and had to keep a clear mind and continue to do what I could: continue to track as accurately as possible its track and motion and warn to get to shelter. One thing that was learned from this tornado alone, if you did not get below ground you had a very low chance of survival. A reason why a tornado shelter is so important here in north Alabama as basements are a rarity.

The challenge of keeping a clear mind would continue for several more hours as another 10 tornadic storms would impact our viewing area through 9:15 pm. And of those 5 would again be EF-4/EF-5 rated with more fatalities and destruction.

Finally, when it was all done, around 10 pm, I realized I had been involved in something very rare and historic. I also was angry that I could not do more to save more lives. I tried to reach my wife and couldn't because of the widespread power outage across north Alabama due to the fact one of the large tornadoes to pass near Tanner had impacted to the TVA facility. As a result, I did not know how she and my family were and now some personal concern was setting in. Around 2 am, I departed the station into a very dark abyss. It was so weird not to see any lights of any kind. No street light, no stop lights, no nothing. I drove very slowly because you could not tell an intersection until you were on top of it. I did not know, either, where debris may be in the road. When I finally reached home I knocked on the window of our bedroom to awaken my wife. I was glad to be home and to see my wife and family were safe. It was time to get a bit of rest before the post-storm coverage was to begin. While the worst was over, the work was just beginning.

God bless the more than 300 individuals who lost their lives in this event from Arkansas to Virginia. One thing we should all have learned from this event is the importance of being weather prepared. Knowing what to do, where to go and having emergency supplies on hand is a MUST. More than ever I recommend WeatherCall as the way to stay aware of warnings specific to you. This way you know which storm is impacting you and you don't get complacent by being over warned for storms that are no where close. Please take some time, TODAY, to get your plan in place, and be ready for any future severe weather as it is not a matter of IF it will occur by WHEN!

AND GET WEATHERCALL

Snow for the Appalachians, Frost Possible into the Southeast

2012-04-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

A late season NorEaster has already brought abundant rains to much of the coastal East Coast and now it is delivering a late season punch of snow and cold! The storm brought heavy rains to the I-95 corridor, Sunday, from Washington DC to Boston with a swath of 1"-3" falling. Now the cold is being entrained into the system and heavy wet snow is already falling across western Pennsylvania and western New York. 6"-12", isolated higher pockets, of heavy wet snow is likely across from northeastern West Virginia into western New York. This band includes such cities as Buffalo, NY; Altoona, PA, Morgantown, WV, Dubois, PA and Dansvill, NY.

The storm will be heaviest through this afternoon, however; some lingering lake effect snow bands will impact western New York through Tuesday morning. The bigger concern for Tuesday morning with be a late season frost potential. Patchy frost is possible as far south as Alabama and Georgia as temperatures will dip into the mid and upper 30s. A freeze is possible as far south as western North Carolina.

A gradual warming trend will then set in for much of the eastern half of the U.S. through the remainder of the work week. By the weekend, attention will again shift northward as another strong cold front is likely to sink south out of central Canada and into the central and eastern U.S. for early next week. At this time, it doesn't appear as cold as this shot but still chilly.

A Perfect Reason Why You Should Have Weather Call!

2012-04-16T11:21:00.001-05:00

KWTV

Please read below for a sad story from this weekend's tornado outbreak in Oklahoma. Had these individuals had WeatherCall their lives may have been saved!

I have been urging my readers for three year's to subscribe to WeatherCall in order to receive timely and precise warnings of impending dangerous weather conditions. I have also spoken several times on how you can rest more comfortably when you have WeatherCall as you will get the notification you require even while you sleep. Now, many would say you get the same with a NOAA Weather Radio or the Tornado Sirens but how often have you been warned for a warning tens of miles away that has no impact on you? When that happens multiple times it is known that many users of Weather Radio tend to ignore issued warnings more often or simply turn their radio off when they go to bed.

If you are one that relies on the Tornado Siren to awake you to alert of a possible or impending tornado please be sure to read below.

Woodward, Oklahoma (KWTV) -- A large tornado nearly quarter-mile wide has caused five confirmed fatalities, massive damage and injuries in Woodward early Sunday morning.

Officials have confirmed that the path of the tornado is about two miles long, and one-fifth to a quarter of a mile wide. The tornado damaged 89 homes and 13 businesses in Woodward.

There are 20 confirmed injuries total, with seven reported as critical. OHP confirmed the five fatalities, two in the Tangier-Blacktop Area and three at the Hideaway Trailer Park.

Officials confirmed the victims from the trailer park are two young girls and their father. The girls were pronounced dead at the scene. Their father was transported to a local hospital where he later died.

Authorities say a signal tower for Woodward's tornado sirens was struck by lightning and hit by a tornado early Sunday morning. (NOTE: Tornado Sirens Were NOT Operable due to earlier Tornado!)

Woodward Police Chief Harvey Rutherford said Sunday the tower that was supposed to send a repeating signal to the town's tornado siren system was knocked out of commission by the storm, which affected the signal.

He said he didn't know how many sirens or which sirens were affected by the outage. Some residents still reported hearing mangled sirens before the tornado.

Rutherford said that, considering that the tornado struck at night and that the sirens were damaged, it's remarkable that there wasn't a greater loss of life. He says the town "had the hand of God to take care of us."

Christine Kirbie, who works for the Woodward News, was at 1910 Meadow Lake when the storm hit. She tells News 9 the house at 1910 Meadow Lake was damaged, but the house across the street "was gone." She also said a tree in the front yard at 1910 Meadow Lake was torn away, leaving only the roots in the yard.

A carpet store on 34th St. by the movie theatre was destroyed. Additional damage is also reported at 60th and Hanks Trail west of City limits and in Tangier-Blacktop area west of town near the airport.

Reports indicate that the 8-mile damage field starts west of Woodward and into the residential areas around 34th Street.

Power is being restored to much of Woodward. At its greatest point, OG&E reported that approximately 8,507 customers were without power. Woodward has a population of about 12,000.

The Quail Apartment complex has suffered damage. Incident command has been setup at Hutch's located at 36th and Oklahoma.

K101 radio has been knocked off the air and they are currently working to get back up.

The Red Cross and OKARNG shelter has been moved to the Living Word Fellowship Church in Woodward at 1310 Oklahoma Ave. Anyone who has been displaced can go there for relief.

Search teams are sifting through rubble in Woodward, looking for people who may be trapped and injured following a killer tornado overnight.

Rusty Surette, the Red Cross spokesman in Oklahoma City, says local authorities are in "chaos mode." He says trucks with cots, food, water and other supplies are headed to the area, where more than 8,000 people are without power.

Red Cross officials urge Oklahomans to be patient if they would like to personally help out. Officials say they are still in the assessment phase of the disaster and are asking people to not go to Woodward to volunteer.

At this time, there is no urgent need for in-kind donations such as clothes or house-hold goods, according to the Red Cross.

Most of the damage is reported on the west side of the town of about 12,000 and its outskirts.

The chief executive officer of Woodward Regional Hospital says 29 people injured by the storm were brought to the hospital, including some who were in critical condition. But he says the hospital is not a trauma center and some people with very serious injuries have been transferred to other facilities.

In a follow up story from KWTV, it states, "The majority of the sirens never went off." This is just another example on the importance of having multiple ways of being notified of impending dangerous weather, especially at night. WeatherCall would have still issued the warnings to registered devices and those registered would have been alerted to the dangers in time to take cover.

PLEASE, stay safe and be ready before the next round of tornadoes and GET WEATHERCALL

Learn More About WeatherCall and the new WeatherCall@Home service that includes a FREE BONUS to the traditional WeatherCall service for just $9.95 per year. Click HERE

Dangerous, Life Threatening, Severe Weather Outbreak Likely Later Today

2012-04-14T08:40:00.000-05:00

A very dangerous situation is setting up for later this afternoon and evening across the Plains. Storms will develop rapidly along a cold front/dry line that will push out of the eastern Rockies and through the Plains. The most dangerous weather will exist over Oklahoma and Kansas where life threatening, large, long track tornadoes will be possible.

IT IS IMPERATIVE, that if you live from north Texas to southern Minnesota and especially from the Red River north to southern South Dakota, that you stay weather vigilant and aware. YOU NEED to have your severe weather preparedness plan in place and that should include:

KNOW WHERE TO GO TO YOUR SAFE PLACE
MONITOR LATEST WEATHER WARNINGS
HAVE A WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WARNING NOTIFICATION SYSTEM (I RECOMMEND WEATHERCALL!)

Additional information and being severe weather prepared may be found in this previous post

FYI, some of you may notice some new wording today in your Tornado Warnings. This is a new method of highlighting a specific danger within a particular storm and is being test implemented in a few locations such as Topeka, Wichita and Kansas City. Below is a sample of what you could see or hear (the bolded information is the new text being test implemented):

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1057 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PLEASANT HILL HAS ISSUED A

TORNADO WARNING FOR...
SOUTHEASTERN JOHNSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
NORTHEASTERN MIAMI COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
NORTHWESTERN CASS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...

UNTIL 1115 AM CDT

AT 1052 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LOUISBURG...AND MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BELTON...CLEVELAND...BUCYRUS...STILLWELL AND STANLEY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

New Tornado Emergency Warning:

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

HAZARD...DEADLY TORNADO.

SOURCE...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CONFIRMED LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO.

IMPACT...COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS IS LIKELY. MANY WELL BUILT HOMES AND BUSINESSES WILL BE COMPLETELY SWEPT FROM THEIR FOUNDATIONS. DEBRIS WILL BLOCK MOST ROADWAYS. MASS DEVASTATION IS HIGHLY LIKELY MAKING THE AREA UNRECOGNIZABLE TO SURVIVORS. TORNADO MAY BE UN-SURVIVABLE IF SHELTER IS NOT SOUGHT BELOW GROUND LEVEL.

TORNADO...OBSERVED

TORNADO DAMAGE THREAT...CATASTROPHIC

HAIL...2.50IN

I have already supported and endorsed WeatherCall for several years now but another reason to do so is they are working with the NWS to implement the new additional tornado warning information into the phone notifications to make sure you get the most accurate, precise and life saving information possible.

Please, Please, take all warnings very seriously today and GET WEATHERCALL!

ENTER TO WIN A YEAR OF WEATHERCALL FOR FREE BELOW

(A winner will be selected at NOON CT, Saturday, April 14, 2012 and will be notified via email. A response to the email will be required to obtain the gift certificate which will then be immediately available for usage)

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Very HIGH Severe Weather Risk Saturday: NEW Exclusive WeatherCall Offer Can Keep You Safe

2012-04-13T20:17:00.003-05:00

I am so proud of my newest partner because it is not only a Deal and a Steal but it can SAVE YOUR LIFE! For those who have been following this site for quite some time you know I have been discussing and promoting WeatherCall. That is because I know how well it works and how it can SAVE LIVES during the most severe of weather conditions. WeatherCall is an advanced weather notification system that provides you with timely, reliable and accurate weather warnings through multiple modes of notification. From phone call messages to text messaging and email, too, you will never have to worry about missing a weather notification for your location.

Now, WeatherCall , The CouponCentsation and Doppler Dale are teaming up to provide you with this service with an added BONUS for just $9.95 a year. This new packaged deal, WeatherCall @Home, will not only provide you with the standard WeatherCall service (see below for additional details) but also WeatherCall Wx Text, an additional $10 value. That is right, you will get both the standard WeatherCall service plus the WeatherCall Wx Text service for ONLY $9.95 a year!

This package deals is a BRAND NEW service and will provide you with additional warning notifications via text notification for three additional locations in addition to your set primary location, utilized for the standard WeatherCall service. These additional locations can be your child's school location, your work location or a specific driving route. You will be able to set a central point. Around the central point you set, a 5 mile warning monitoring box will then be drawn. When a warning is issued that crosses through the monitoring box a text notification will be issued to provide you with the notification you need to be safe. This service is so new that it will officially be rolled out early next week.

However, due the very "HIGH RISK" of severe weather from Oklahoma through Kansas and into Nebraska for Saturday, we have decided to offer the service now so that you can already get your primary service set up and implemented NOW to be safe for any severe weather that may occur. Then, early next week, an email notification from WeatherCall will arrive in your inbox urging you to set up your BONUS service, WeatherCall Wx Text. At that time you will be able to set up your three additional warning locations.

As a meteorologist, I can attest strongly to the accurate, timely performance of WeatherCall. It is how I keep my family safe and I strongly encourage you to get WeatherCall and keep your family safe. Jennifer and I can sleep at ease when severe weather is in the forecast because I know my phone will ring when a critical weather warning is issued for our home. That is how comfortable and confident I am in this service.

Standard WeatherCall Service Details

Valid for (1) Location (You Define the Location Precisely to a Physical Address)
Register Up to (3) Phone Numbers to Receive Warning Notification
Register Up to (3) Email Addresses to Receive Warning Notification and/or SMS/Text
Choose the Warnings To Be Notified for (Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm and/or Flash Flood)

WeatherCall WxText Service Features

Register An Additional Phone Number (Total of 4 numbers Weather Call + WxText)
Choose (3) Additional Location Points to Set Warning Notification Monitoring Box
Receive Text Messages for ALL National Weather Service Warnings

Severe Weather in the Southeast for Thursday

2012-04-05T07:42:00.000-05:00

Already starting out the day with two tornado watches in effect and likely additional watches will be issued later today. A large area for potential severe weather exists over the Southeast and includes: Atlanta, Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, Tupelo, Jackson, Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Charleston.

As has been the case for most of the week, the main threat is for damaging winds and large hail; however, an isolated tornado is possible.

Stay weather aware through the day and as always advised, GET WEATHERCALL.

Record March Warmth to Give Way to April Storms/Rain Followed By an April Chill

2012-04-02T20:46:00.000-05:00

March 2012 set records across the Midwest, Great Lakes, Plains and Rocky Mountain regions. Several locations saw the warmest March on record including: St. Louis, MO; Colubmia, MO; Springfield, MO; West Plains, MO; Vichy, MO; Kansas City, MO; St. Joseph, MO; Kirksville, MO; Sedalia, MO; Omaha, NE;, Lincoln, NE; Norfolk, NE; Cheyenne, WY; Goodland, KS; Burlington, CO; McCook, NE; Grand Island, NE; Hastings, NE; Kearney, NE; Loup City, NE; Sisseton, SD; Wheaton, SD; Pierre, SD; Kennebec, SD; Mobridge, SD; Timber Lake, SD; Rapid City, SD; Lander, WY; Casper, WY; Rock Springs, WY; Riverton, WY; Billings, MT; Miles City, MT; Sheridan, WY; Fargo, ND; Grand Forks, ND; Duluth, MN; International Falls, MN; Marquette, MI; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; Houghton Lake, MI; Alpena, MI; Traverse City, MI; Gaylord, MI; Detroit, MI; Flint, MI; Saginaw, MI; Grand Rapids, MI; Lansing, MI; Muskegon, MI; Milwaukee, WI; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; St. Cloud, MN; Eau Claire, WI; Des Moines, IA; Waterloo, IA; Dubuque, IA, Moline, IL; Chicago, IL, Rockford, IL; South Bend, IN; Ft. Wayne, IN; Jackson, KY; London, KY; Bowling Green, KY; Lexington, KY; Louisville, KY; Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dayton, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN; Jackson, TY; Tupelo, MS; Jonesboro, AR; Paducah, KY; Evansville, IN; Springfield, IL; Tulsa, OK; Ft. Smith, AR

WOW! In most of these locations did not just set new records they shattered the old ones!

Now for the changes that are on their way. First, let me discuss the expected changes towards more rain and storminess through much of the Midwest, Delta and into the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley. Currently, an upper level storm system is slowly heading east out of the Four Corners region. This is easily seen in the latest water vapor imagery.

In advance of this system is a stiff southerly flow that has continued the record warmth of March right into April with more record highs being set, Monday. However, it has also drawn northward a separate piece of energy that has spawned strong to severe thunderstorms across northeast Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The area of rain and storms is weakening as it lifts east and northeast through Mississippi and some of the rain will hold together to creep into western Alabama, tonight. Additionally, showers will continue to wrap around the center of the energy across Arkansas, too.

Back to the main storm system. Along the front edge of the upper system, a cold front is located that stretches from Minnesota into eastern Kansas and then into northern New Mexico. The storm system is firing a second area of strong to severe storms across southern Kansas into the Panhandles of TX and OK.

TUESDAY
The entire storm system will slowly progress eastward, Tuesday. The fastest progressing portion of the entire system will be the northern edge of the cold front which will move into the Great Lakes/northern Ohio Valley. The main core of the system; however, only tracks into the Panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma with the cold front making it into the Mid-Mississippi Valley.

Quite a bit of showers and thunderstorms will take place along and south of I-70 from Missouri to the Gulf Coast and as far east as the Tennessee Valley. Severe weather will also be a possibility near to and ahead of the main storm system across eastern OK/TX.

SNOW...Yes, snow, will be possible on the back side of this system across the Rockies of Colorado.
Some of the eastern slopes, especially south of Denver, could see a fresh 8" to 10".

As you can already see, some colder air is once again intruding back into the lower 48 and into some of the same areas that saw record warmth in March and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

WEDNESDAY
By Wednesday, the main core of the storm system begins to open up and that means it will begin to progress eastward faster and will also not draw the cold air as far south and east. The cold front will stretch along and south of the Ohio River back into the St. Louis metro area and then southward through east Texas into Louisiana. Again, widespread rains and thunderstorms are expected from Missouri to the Mid-Atlantic with activity become more scattered further south towards the Gulf Coast.

REMAINDER OF WORK WEEK & EASTER OUTLOOK
The storm will finally exit of the southeastern U.S. coast by Saturday morning; taking with it the rain. High pressure will build in behind it and sunny and pleasant conditions with cooler, more seasonal temperatures can be expected for Saturday. On Easter Sunday, another storm heads out of the Plains and into the Midwest with a stronger cold front associated with it. A line of showers and storms will likely accompany the front. The rain will spread into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes by late on Easter.

Behind this system temperatures will hold much closer to normal. Yet another storm is likely to follow digging southward out of central Canada, late next week. This should help continue a trend of flipping the weather pattern that we have seen since February with a warm ridge over the central/eastern U.S. and a trough in the West and instead set up a cool trough in the East and a ridge over the West.

90s Arrive Early, No It's Not An April Fool

2012-03-30T20:51:00.001-05:00

If you think it has been warm to hot already this Spring you have been correct. March 2012 is on pace to be one of, if not the warmest, March on record for several locations and as we head into April the early warmth won't let up. In fact, 90s are on their way!

As we head through this weekend and into the start of April, a ridge, located over the Rockies, will begin heading east into the Plains and the Midwest as a powerful trough pushes through the West Coast. The ridge will contain some of the warmest temperatures we have seen yet this season. This will be due to nearly perfect conditions setting up. A strong cold front along the edge of the trough will be pushing eastward and compressing air in its advance. The air will be dry and able to warm easily and a general southwest flow will be present.

The end result, temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and even to 90 degrees across the Southern Plains into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Sunday and Monday.

Isolated Severe Storms Possible Across Illinois and Missouri, Tuesday

2012-03-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

As a cold front slides southeast out of the central/northern Plains later this afternoon and tonight a few thunderstorms will fire in its vicinity. A few of these storms may become severe with gusty winds and hail the main concerns; however, an isolated tornado is possible, too.

This front is weak and as a result, little in the way of cooling will occur behind its passage. The front will make its way into the lower Ohio Valley and upper Tennessee Valley on Wednesday. This will lead to scattered afternoon thunderstorms near the front, once again. And again, a few of these thunderstorms may become severe with wind and hail remaining the main concern.

A second area of potential severe weather will be possible, Wednesday, across the Southern Plains. Here a surface low will be found and it will be lifting a warm front back northward and a complex of storms are anticipated along and ahead of the warm front. A few additional storms could fire south of the warm front in the more moist and unstable air.

Rain, Rain and More Rain

2012-03-21T19:08:00.000-05:00

Estimated Tuesday Rainfall

Slowly east goes the system that has been plaguing the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley for the last several days. This evening, the rains have progressed into Mississippi and slowly the entire mass will shift east while the individual rain pockets and storms lift northerly. As of this writing, 6:30 pm CT, already 2" to 4" of rain had fallen across much of Mississippi and another 2" to 4" is likely to fall across the southeastern quarter of the state. With up to an inch of rain falling as far north as the mouth of the Ohio River.

On Thursday, the entire system and area of rain will continue to slowly shift eastward and will slide into the heart of Dixie, the Ohio Valley and the Tennessee Valley. I anticipate rainfall amounts to begin to become less, too, with maximum amounts topping out between 1.5" and 2".

By Friday, the entire system begins picking up some steam, again. This helps to begin clearing the rain further to the east and also means lower rainfall amounts.

System Slows Down to Crawl: Leads to Abundant Rain and Flooding

2012-03-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

The storm system of change is slowing down to nearly just a crawl and that means more heavy rains for areas already seeing plenty of it across Arkansas, east Texas and Louisiana.

Already 3" to 6" or rainfall has fallen from south and east of the Dallas-Ft.Worth Metroplex northeastward into eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.

On Wednesday, more heavy rains are expected across much of Arkansas and through Louisiana and when it finally winds down early Thursday some portions of western Louisiana could be pushing close to 10" in total!.

Thursday will be the day the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Lower Ohio Valley, Mid-South and the Tennessee Valley will get into the steady to heavier rains with embedded thunderstorms.

Thursday Forecast Rainfall

Slow Moving Storm Finally to Bring Change in the East

2012-03-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

Weather.com

The weather pattern has not changed a whole lot in about a week but it will gradually change as we head through this week. Currently, a large trough is situation over the Rockies with a cold front along its eastern edge stretching through the Plains from the border of the Dakotas/Minnesota into central Oklahoma and through the heart of the Lone Star State.

In advance of the cold front lies a dominating ridge that is in control over the eastern U.S. It is strongly responsible for the abnormally warm temperatures that those of us in the East have experienced since late last week and will continue to experience for a few more days.

As the cold front pushes east, slowly, it encounters the abnormally warm and humid air and that is leading to a perfect scenario for t-storm development. Storms have been firing along and near the front from the Dakotas to Texas for much of today and that will continue into Tuesday morning. Some of these storms have been and will continue to be severe with a threat for tornadoes remaining in the southern Plains and into Texas.

The front will progress a bit further east, Tuesday, and will stretch from the birth of the Mississippi River through central Iowa and western Missouri and into east Texas. More storms will be found near the front with storms potentially being severe. The highest risk of severe weather will be from the Arklatex to the Gulf coast, encompassing Houston, TX, Shreveport, LA and Lake Charles, LA. I anticipate a "Moderate Risk" for this region to be issued in the next day one severe weather outlook from SPC. Again, a threat for tornadoes will be possible.

The upper level energy will actually cut itself off from the main flow over the Southern Plains on Wednesday and that will keep the pattern relatively unchanged with the cold front becoming nearly stationary. That means the same areas that see storminess on Tuesday will likely see more storms Wednesday. A few severe storms will be possible but the overall amount of severity should be less.

The entire system will have a tough time progressing eastward until about Saturday when it will begin arriving into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. At that time, the storminess will finally push east, as well.

Unusual March Warmth Continues; Will Lead to Sct'd Strong to Severe PM Storms

2012-03-15T11:20:00.000-05:00

No significant change in the weather pattern is in sight for the near term. In fact, likely no significant changes will take place until the middle-end of next week. At that time, it is possible that not only a change will occur by one of notice.

Until then, though, the unusual warmth for March will continue for the eastern half of the U.S. This warmth will help to fire off daily afternoon thunderstorms and a few of the storms will become strong to severe with gusty winds and some hail. Today, the highest chances of this occurring is from the Ohio Valley back into the Mississippi Valley.

Little Change in the Weather Pattern for the East through the Week: Stays Very Warm

2012-03-14T10:15:00.000-05:00

Records Set in the Last Week

An unusally warm weather pattern will persist through the remainder of the week for the eastern half of the U.S. Temperatures have already been well above normal with hundreds of records being already set and they will continue to remain well above normal and additional records are likely to be set in many locations. Here is list of some of the notable high temperature records from the past couple of days courtesy of AccuWeather.com

Monday:

City, State	New Record	Old Record, Year
New York, N.Y.	71 degrees	71, 1890 (tie)
Boston, Mass.	71 degrees	69, 1902
Syracuse, N.Y.	68 degrees	67, 1977
Bangor, Maine	62 degrees	56, 1927
Grand Forks, N.D.	56 degrees	53, 1964 and 2002
Sarasota, Fla.	86 degrees	86, 1997 (tie)
St. Louis, Mo.	84 degrees	84, 1972 and 1990 (tie)

A list of some of the notable high temperature records from Tuesday:

City, State	New Record	Old Record, Year
Springfield, Mo.	82 degrees	82, 1918 and 1967 (tie)
Sioux City, Iowa	81 degrees	74, 1946
Omaha, Neb.	81 degrees	80, 2007
Albany, N.Y.	70 degrees	70, 1946 (tie)
Minneapolis, Minn.	67 degrees	66, 2007
Grand Forks, N.D.	59 degrees	51, 1945
Concord, N.H.	71 degrees	69, 1990

AccuWeather.com

More records are likely to be set through the remainder of the work week as a strong ridge continues to hold strong across the eastern U.S. The opposite will be true, though, in the west where is will be colder than normal with snow heading into the mountains and heavy rains and even some strong storms to be possible.

Slight Risk of Storms for the Great Lakes and TN Valley, Today

2012-03-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

A piece of upper level energy will be swinging through the Great Lakes, today, and will interact with a warming surface to help develop thunderstorm activity this afternoon. A few of these storms could become severe with strong damaging winds and a few widely isolated tornadoes. The highest threat will exist during the mid afternoon through evening hours from the Chicagoland region through much of lower Michigan.

Another region of potential severe thunderstorm development will stretch from western Tennessee into northeast Mississippi and northwest Alabama for this afternoon. Again, strong damaging winds is the main concern.

Winds Howl, A Warm Up & Then More Storms

2012-03-06T20:07:00.001-06:00

Oh, the wind will be a howl'n through much of the eastern U.S. on Wednesday. From the Mississippi river eastward through the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley, over to the Mid-Atlantic and up into New England the flags will be flapping and many of you will have to hold on to your hats. Wind speeds of 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts likely can be expected.

The wind and the upper level weather pattern of a ridge will provide for mild conditions over the East with temperatures spiking into the 70s as far north as the Ohio River.

A cold front will begin knocking on the western edge of the warmth across the Plains, Wednesday, and will continue to push east-southeast through the remainder of the week. This frontal boundary will become the next focus for another round of storms. Scattered storms will develop along and ahead of the front from Kansas into the Great Lakes, Wednesday PM. The storminess will spread into New England and the Ohio Valley by Thursday PM. The good news is that severe weather is not expected but some heavy rains will b possible

The front will also usher in noticeably cooler temperatures, one again. With temperatures, behind the front about 20-25 degrees colder than at the peak of the warm up this week.

Quieter and Milder Weather For Storm Ravaged Portions of the Nation

2012-03-05T18:10:00.000-06:00

For the next several days a much quieter and milder weather pattern will be setting up along and east of the Mississippi river. The only negative weather feature will be increase southerly winds that will make it breezy. The breezy conditions will first impact the Plains, Tuesday, with winds 20-30 mph possible, especially over Kansas and Western Missouri. The breezy conditions will push east and south on Wednesday, with winds 15-25 mph possible from Oklahoma into Illinois.

The positive is that the wind will blow in much warmer temperatures. Afternoon highs, Tuesday, will climb into the 70s as for north as northern Nebraska with 80s possible from southwest Kansas through eastern New Mexico/western Texas. The 70s spread east into the Mid-Mississippi river Valley, Wednesday; into the southern Virginia, Thursday.

Unfortunately, the quiet weather will only be for a few days as a cold front will be pushing south and east, again, through the second half of the week. This will bring back the storminess with some strong storms possible but lets enjoy the next couple of days first.

Tornado Ravaged Ohio Valley To Get a Coating of Snow

2012-03-03T23:27:00.000-06:00

Intellicast.com

Just two days after being ravaged by intense tornadoes, the same portions of the Ohio Valley will be visited by winter, once again. A "Clipper" system will be diving southeast in the jetstream flow, Sunday. As it exits Illinois and begins to enter into northwest Kentucky, it will begin to tap into moisture. With temperatures and atmospheric conditions plenty cool the precipitation will fall in the form of snow!

WxCaster.com

The snow will move out of Iowa and into northwest Illinois by late Sunday morning. By evening, the snow will begin to fly along the Ohio River and continue to streak southeast. The snow will intensify over southern Illinois and into Kentucky where a swath of 1" to 2" of accumulation is possible.

Unfortunately, this will just add to the harshness many in the region or already having to deal with and will make putting lives back together a bit tougher to do.

Dangerous Severe Weather Situation for Friday: Tornado Outbreak Possible

2012-03-01T21:38:00.000-06:00

A significant and dangerous severe weather outbreak is likely to occur, Friday, across the lower Ohio Valley and northern Tennessee Valley. The conditions will be becoming favorable for rapid storm development during the late afternoon hours and continuing through the evening. Several of these storms will become severe with winds in excess of 65 mph, large hail. I also anticipate several storms to include tornadoes with some of these becoming large and long track, the most dangerous. To help you be more prepared with this dangerous situation I want to break it down into regions. Please review further for your location.

Regional Details

Mid-Mississippi River Valley (Eastern Missouri and Illinois)

The surface low that will be a key focus for the development of severe weather will be lifting northeastward through the early morning hours, Friday, from northeast Oklahoma and into southwest Missouri. Stretching east-southeastward from the low will be a warm front. South of the front, temperatures will be quite mild and it will turn more humid, too. Along the front and near the surface low, scattered showers and even a few thunderstorms will begin to pop. This will take place from southwest Missouri into southeast Tennessee. As the low continues to lift northeast along the I-44 corridor, Friday morning, it will help draw up more unstable air into the Missouri Bootheel and as far north as St. Louis. This will allow for a few strong, possibly severe storms to develop with damaging wind and some hail. The chances for severe weather will be increasing into southern Illinois, especially along and south of I-64.

Mid South (Arkansas, West Tennessee, West Mississippi)
The above mentioned surface low will have a trailing cold front associated with it. As mentioned above, as the low continues to lift northeast along I-44 in Missouri and then into central Illinois it will draw northward unstable air that will collide with the approaching cold front. However, not sure the atmosphere will bcome fully primed over the region and storms may only become isolated during the early afternoon. Better chances for severe weather will be further east.

Ohio Valley (Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky)

The Ohio Valley, especially the southern portions, are within the area of concern for the most severe weather. Here the atmosphere will have the ability to fully charge in advance of the arriving cold front. Additionally, the wind shear due to the proximity of the surface low and upper level energy will be high. I anticipate that scattered storms will begin to rapidly develop from near Indianapolis southeastward towards Louisville and southward towards Bowling Green between 3-5 pm. The storms will rapidly intensify upon initiation and will likely quickly become severe. Louisville to Bowling Green will be in the northern zone of the "Tornado Target Zone" and will have significant probability for tornadic development. Based on the SPC Tornado Index parameters and the WRF model I have placed this zone in a Tornado Index of 4-7 on a scale of 1-10. With values of 4 scattered tornadoes, some strong, are possible. With a value of 7 indicating significant, violent and long track tornadoes become more of a concern.

Tennessee Valley (Central and Eastern Tennessee, Northern Alabama)

The "Tornado Target Zone" will continue to stretch southward into the Tennessee Valley. The concern for the highest possibility of dangerous, violent and long track tornadoes will be setting up through central Tennessee into southern Kentucky. Based on the SPC Tornado Index parameters and the WRF model I have placed this zone in a Tornado Index of 4-7 on a scale of 1-10. With values of 4 scattered tornadoes, some strong, are possible. With a value of 7 indicating significant, violent and long track tornadoes become more of a concern. The good news is that the severity of the weather should become less as you head southward but the weather could still be quite dangerous.

As mentioned in the Ohio Valley section, storms will likely begin to rapidly develop and building southward between 3-5 PM in the afternoon. I anticipate them arriving into the Nashville Metro area into northwest Alabama between 5-7pm. I anticipate this area to quickly fill in to a relatively solid line of storms. When this happens, I anticipate the threat of tornadoes to begin to diminish and the main threat to become damaging straight line winds. However, please understand the threat for tornadoes DOES NOT become zero and a few storms could still spawn a tornado. The line of storms will then continue to progress eastward and reach Huntsville, Alabama between 8-10 PM. The line will be exiting northeast Alabama around Midnight.

Dixie Region (Mississippi/Eastern Louisiana,Central and Southern Alabama)
As the line of storms begins to coalesce from Nashville into northwest Alabama, I anticipate additional storms to begin firing further southwest through Mississippi and into northeast Louisiana between 5-7 pm. As the evening continues. these storms will also coalesce into a solid line that will eventually stretch from central Louisiana all the way into eastern Ohio. The line will stretch from New Orleans to Birmingham-Chattanooga around Midnight. Again, the tornado threat is less but not zero. The main cause for concern will be damaging straight line winds; however, a few isolated tornadoes will be possible.

This event is one that should be monitored closely and I advise everyone to have a weather alerting device available to them. Whether it be a NOAA Weather Radio, Weather Call, Notify or Saf-T-Net, you need to make sure you stay aware of the expected quickly changing weather conditions, Friday.

Significant Severe Weather Expected Friday OH Valley/MidSouth/TN Valley

2012-03-01T09:12:00.000-06:00

Not going to go into much, right now, as thoughts from last night still look good. As mentioned, though, in the previous post, I expected a Moderate Risk to be outlined by SPC for Friday and that is the case, this morning. Still believe the highest threat is going to be through Tennessee into southern Ohio but don't let your guard down in Mississippi, Alabama and southern Indiana.

I will provide an updated detailed discussion later this evening.

Be Safe and Be Ready

Repeat Severe Weather Event: Friday

2012-02-29T20:34:00.000-06:00

Harveyville, KS (AP)

One storm system is pulling up and out but behind it is destruction in several places. Some of the worst damage occurring in Branson, Missouri, Harrisburg, IL, near Smithville, TN and in Hardin County Kentucky south of Elizabethtown.

There will not be much time to do clean up and get settle back in as another storm is already on this first one's heels. It is easily seen on the water vapor imagery spinning over northern Idaho. A second piece of energy and the one that will become the focus for Friday will be diving southward behind this main piece of energy. Through Thursday, the main system will lift eastward along the U.S./Canadian border while the secondary energy will be diving through Nevada and into southern Utah. This will allow for more snow to fall in the mountains of Nevada and Utah.

As the secondary energy begins to spin through and out of the Rockies, a resultanting surface low will spin up across southwest Kansas, Thursday PM. The energy and the surface low will begin lifting east-northeastward into Friday.

By Friday at sunrise, the surface low will be entering into western Missouri and the secondary piece with streak out and become into two focal areas. One the focal points of energy will begin merging back with the main energy over the Upper Midwest while the other will be diving southeastward into the Southern Plains. In advance of the system a warm front will be heading northward through the Mid-South and Tennessee Valley. This will allow warm, humid and unstable air to begin moving northward. This likely will lead to an initial round of rain and storms to develop along the nose of the low level jet and near the vicinity of the warm front, Thursday night/early Friday. This will likely take place across northern Mississippi into southwest Kentucky.

The initial round of storms should propagate east-southeastward away from the main low level jet and along the warm front through Tennessee and northern Alabama. As the storms move away from the main low level moisture fetch, they should begin to weaken but this process could be a bit slow.

weather.com

Lingering cloud cover and left over boundaries from the early morning showers/storms will play a big role in the way the severe weather scenario sets up, Friday PM. Right now, I believe that the highest probability of dangerous weather will take place from Tennessee northward into the lower Ohio Valley. The threat will include the possibility of multiple tornadoes. This will be due to the fact that the main merging energy will be ejecting out of the Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley and into the Great Lakes.

Dr. Forbes Torcon Forecast (TWC)

The trailing cold front from the main surface low will likely fire additional strong to severe storms southward towards the Gulf Coast. Depending on whether or not the split energy trailing into the Southern Plains holds or strengthens in energy will determine just how far south the most dangerous weather will get.

On thing is becoming more clear and that is the likelihood of a significant severe weather event brewing. The SPC has already issued a large area of 30% Probability of severe weather for Day 3. Likely, a moderate risk will officially be outlined in Thursday's Day 2 outlook.

Please make sure to be safe and be prepared. To help you with this please refer to an earlier post from today.

Be Safe In Times of Severe Weater: Have a Severe Weather Safety Kit

2012-02-29T14:04:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the meteorological beginning of Spring but already we have seen several rounds of severe weather across portions of the nation. As we continue through the Spring severe weather occurrances will increase so I wanted to take this opportunity to help provide you with some ways to stay safe and to recommend to you a severe weather safety kit.

Storm Safety
Here are a few procedures you should take in the event of a tornado. This information was obtained from the National Weather Service. You can read their full safety guide for staying safe in all kinds of severe weather including thunderstorms, lightning, flooding and tornadoes here.

Tornado Safety Tips

Get below ground if at all possible or into a storm shelter/safe room

If you can't get below ground and/or no safe room is available get into a small, windowless, interior room such as a hallway or closet on the lowest level of the building

If you are outdoors, seek shelter immediately.

If shelter is not easily available drive to nearest shelter

While driving, if debris becomes present do one of the following:

Pull over and park and stay in vehicle with seat belt on. Put your head down and cover with your arms and hands and a blanket if possible

If you can get safely into a culvert or below the level of the roadway, exit your car and lie in that area and cover your head with your arms and hands

You should always have a plan in the case of severe weather and practice that plan throughout the year. You should also have a severe weather safety kit packed and ready to go. I learned this first hand after living through the severe weather and tornadoes of last April in north Alabama. Luckily my residence was not directly impacted by the weather it was; however, unfortunately indirectly impacted for several days after. Power was out across north Alabama for up to five days and a new way of living was quickly adapted, too. While I always thought I was properly prepared I learned otherwise. So I want to use my experience to help you to be better prepared so you won't have to sit there in the dark with out the needed items to survive comfortably.

So here is a suggested list of items you should have in a readiness kit and you should remember to always take this kit with you or better yet, have already in your safe place so that he don't have to go searching for it after the storm has passed. By then, it may be too late.

NUMBER 1 ITEM: A WEATHER ALERT DEVICE

The number one item you need in your safety kit is a device that will automatically receive the weather alerts such as severe thunderstorm storm warnings and tornado warnings from the National Weather Service. These devices include NOAA Weather Radio and phone notification services. I strongly recommend two separate devices to protect you in the rare case that one system fails. I, myself, have two weather radios, one by my bed and another in my safety kit, and I also subscribe to WeatherCall, a warning notification service.

NOAA Weather Radios are terrific for learning about the dangerous weather in your region; however, they have one major setback and that is the fact they can not provide notifications based on the new storm based warning issuance utilized by the NWS and instead can only notify you of warnings based on an entire county. This increases your false alarm rate and in turn it is known that users eventually either ignore the weather radio or turn it off all together. If you have a weather radio, ask yourself how many times you have been awoke in the middle of the night to discover the warning is for an area of the county tens of miles away and its track is away from your location? I am sure you will answer this question by saying, "most of the time the darn thing goes off."

As a whole, this was the major reason why the NWS went to the warning issuance based on a storm and its track rather than the entire county. They are now able to reduce the false alarm rate and are able to provide more specific and timely warnings. Unfortunately, the weather radios that are in use, today, still don't have a way to take this new practice and utilize it. Instead, this has lead to several companies offering a notification service. These services are subscription based and will typically call a phone and/or send a text message or email to notify you of a warning issued for a specific GPS coordinate. In this manner, when you sign up you provide your address and when a warning is issued that encompasses your address you are notified by the service you have requested. This is much more precise and eliminates the false alarm rate and the crying wolf syndrome many of you have become accustomed to. I love my WeatherCall! I can go to sleep at night and know that I will be alerted WHEN AND ONLY WHEN, a severe weather event is on track to impact my home. I also have the upgraded mobile version that will track me to the exact location I am at. In this case, I am notified of any warnings that will directly impact ME wherever I am at.

WHY Subscribe to a Notification Service Such as WeatherCall
I strongly encourage you to check out and subscribe to one of the services provided by WeatherCall. There services begin at YEARLY RATEs of just $9.95 and the service WORKS. I know this first hand. In fact,in the tornado event of April 27, 2011 many users of WeatherCall were only notified of impending danger because they had a WeatherCall subscription. When the tornadoes ripped through Madison County, Alabama they impacted a major TVA power generation and transmission facility. This took the power down for much of north Alabama. In fact, the NW Doppler weather radar was impacted and went down. While the NWS was still issuing warnings the weather radio transmitters were down with the loss of power. The one thing that was still working, in many locations, were the cell towers. This was because they were operating on a battery back up. As a result, subscribers to WeatherCall who were using cell phones were receiving their notifications while the weather radios and tornado sirens were quiet.

While I strongly recommend WeatherCall there are other similar services available. Here is a list of those that I am aware of. I can't recommend any of these because I am not familiar with just how well they work. I am testing the new Baron Services Saf-T-Net for Alabama to see how it does compared to WeatherCall.

Weather Channel's NOTIFY ($6.99/month)

CodeRed (Provided as a community service to its citizens such as a county or a city, check your local municipality if it offers this service)

Baron Service's Saf-T-Net (Free for Alabama Residents, $3.99/month for remainder of the nation)

There are additional services, not listed, that are free; however, the are FREE because the issue their warnings based on the entire county or zipcode and are not site specific to your location. Please be aware and check any service out before subscribing.

Additional Safety Kit Items

Water - One Gallon per person in your household per day. (1-2 Week Supply)

Non-perishable Foods - those that are easy to prepare like canned soup/pasta (1-2 week supply)

Flashlight

Batteries

Midland Hand Crank NOAA Weathe Radio (provides you with weather radio, AM/FM radio, flashlight, USB charger for cell phone and operates on AC/DC, batteries and hand crank power)

First Aid Kit

Bandages

One Week Supply of Medication and a List of Medication Being Taken

Swiss Army Knife or Other Multi-Purpose Tool

Sanitation and Hygiene Items (In Boyscouts we always had tampons ready. They make for great blood absorber)

Emergency Contact Information

Cash,Cash,Cash (Don't expect ATMs to be working)

Blankets

Children's Games

Baby Supplies

Pet Supplies (don't forget your extended family)

Manual Can Opener

Matches

A set of Clothes for each family member

I hope this information helps you to be safe in the event you need it. I hope you never do but as I learned as a Boy Scout, "Always Be Prepared"

Moderate Risk for Severe Weather Across the Southern Ohio Valley & TN Valley

2012-02-29T11:20:00.001-06:00

Harrisburg, IL: KMOX (St. Louis)

A strong storm system continues to assist in firing dangerous thunderstorms this morning from Kentucky into northwest Tennessee. The storms from last night and earlier this morning were powerful from southern Missouri into southern Illinois where at least 10 people were killed in a possible tornado in Harrisburg, Illinois, southeast of St. Louis, and at least another 2 were killed in the Missouri Ozarks. A likely tornado also struck the recreation center of the Ozarks, Branson, Missouri. Damage is reported to be extensive in both locations with even some of the famed theaters of Branson being impacted.

Branson, Missouri (Springfield News-Leader)

The same storm system is continuing to progress eastward and continues to cause storms to become severe with occasional reports of tornadoes. In advance of the storm system from northern Alabama into southeastern Kentucky, atmospheric conditions are destabilizing and enhancement and new generation of storms are expected this afternoon/evening.

SPC Outlook (Intellicast.com)

While the SPC continues to forecast a "Moderate Risk" for severe thunderstorms today across north Alabama northward into southeast Kentucky, I believe they may be over forecasting the risk for north Alabama and under forecasting a bit the threat further north in Kentucky. The further south you go, the atmosphere has the potential for strong to severe storms but current cloud cover could hinder that from occurring in full. Further north, the dynamics of the system will be the key role player and that will also lead to an increased threat for tornadoes along and north of I-40 into eastern Kentucky.

Please stay weather aware and make sure you have a weather notification system working for you.

Severe Weather Spreads into Ohio/TN Valleys Wednesday, Another Round Friday

2012-02-28T21:57:00.000-06:00

weather.com

Active Springtime weather will continue through this week with another round of severe weather likely, Wednesday afternoon and evening. as a cold front continues to progress east out of the Mid-Mississippi River valley. The storms will begin firing over central Tennessee and northwest Alabama near lunchtime and spread eastward through the afternoon. By sunset, the storms will be nearing the western Appalachians. Main threat with these storms will be gusty winds.

A second storm system will roll out of the Rockies and develop into a potent storm system in the mid-section of the nation, Friday. This system has the potential of becoming the season's first widespread severe weather event of 2012. At this time, I don't see Friday as a major tornado threat, still more of a wind and hail threat, but a few tornadoes are possible, especially during the initial onset of the storm development when singular, supercell type thunderstorms could occur. This is likely to be between 5pm-7pm just east of the Mississippi River from west Kentucky into northwest Mississippi.

The storms will then continue to head east but will form more of a linear, squall line structure as they approach mid Kentucky, mid Tennessee and Alabama. The storms are expected to make it to the I-65 corridor between 10 pm and Midnight and continue to progress, still remaining strong to severe, through much of the overnight hours and into early Saturday.

Now, while I currently don't see this as a major tornado outbreak, some tornadoes are likely with this event and as we get closer and can see just how all the ingredients will come together we will continue to get a better handle on the event. Don't panic but be prepared and know what you would do in the event of severe weather or a tornado. Also make sure to have a preparedness kit ready. I will discuss this in detail, Wednesday.