Flash Flooding and Flood in Kentucky, December 21 to 22, 2013

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
340 AM CST Sat Dec 21 2013

.SHORT TERM...(Today through Monday night)
ISSUED AT 337 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013

Plenty to talk about in the next 24-30 hours so will try and be
as concise as possible without leaving material information out.

Southerly flow for the past couple of days has advected deep
moisture across the region. In the meantime a NE-SW oriented frontal
boundary has stalled halfway across our CWA. The combination of warm
air advection, isentropic upglide, and upper level impulses has
caused elevated showers and thunderstorms to develop over the area.
For the most part this scenario will remain the same today, except
that with time a sharp h5 low/wave will become negatively tilted as
it ejects northeast from west central Texas around midday today to
the Great Lakes region around sunrise Sunday.

The passage of this feature just to our north and west is expected
to induce a surface low on the front that is forecast to track
northeast across our CWA late this afternoon and evening. The
surface low will eventually pull/push the previously stalled frontal
boundary across our CWA late tonight.

The passage of the surface and upper lows and front will greatly
enhance lift, instability, and shear across the area, especially
from mid afternoon through midnight. As a result, not only will
heavy rainfall be an issue during this period, but also the
potential for thunderstorms to become severe with damaging winds and
a few tornadoes, some possibly significant. The NAM is clearly the
most aggressive with parameters that indicate the potential for
tornadic development. Hopefully things will lean more toward the
weaker/less aggressive GFS version.

Beyond midnight tonight as the surface low and front clear the area,
precipitation chances should decrease from west to east. On Monday
models still indicate plenty of 1000-850MB post frontal moisture and
cold air advection so went with drizzle in the morning. Monday
afternoon per soundings, critical thicknesses, etc. decided to
include the possibility of either drizzle or flurries over the
northwest half of the CWA. With plenty of moisture still over the
area Monday night, just went with flurries as the colder air
overapreads the entire region.

Well above temperatures in the early periods of the forecast drop
off to below normal readings by the end of the period.

.LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Friday)
ISSUED AT 337 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013

We'll start out the day on Tuesday with sfc high pressure overhead.
This high will shift east throughout the day and be into the
Appalachains by 00Z Wednesday, as a system moves through the central
Plains states. In the upper levels, the flow starts out as strong
northwesterly at the start of the day but an upper level ridge
builds in throughout the day. By Tuesday night into Christmas
morning, the upper ridge shifts east, as a trough and its associated
weak front advances into the area. The 00Z ECMWF does show a
stronger feature aloft and more moisture, and actually generates
some minor QPF for Christmas night...while the 12Z run was fairly
dry. The GFS/GFS ensembles indicate the main energy passing by to
our north and brings just cloudinnes to the area. Soundings from the
ECMWF do indicate that if it does precipitate, it will likely be
some light snow Christmas night, which could linger in our eastern
areas Thursday morning. Dry air infiltrates the area rapidly during
the day on Thursday.

Beyond Christmas night, models really differ on the evolution of the
upper level pattern and how to handle energy spilling atop the upper
ridge in the west. Prefer to leave the forecast dry until some kind
of continuity is resolved.

As far as temperatures: On Tuesday, will be challenging because a
cold airmass will be in place at the start of the day, but will
quickly be moving out throughout the day. Very dry air will be in
place as well, with dewpoints in the single digits. However, I don't
think the cold air will move out fast enough and Tuesday will likely
end up being a pretty cold day. The GFS/ECE guidance numbers are
lining up well to support that thought. Will lower lows for Tuesday
night as well, given the very dry air in place. A lot will depend on
the gradient and how fast clouds may enter the area, but we could be
looking at lows in the teens. Wednesday and Thursday should be
warmer days and temps should rise well into the 30s and probably the
lower 40s. Slightly cooler weather may be on tap for Friday but not
as cold as Tuesday.

&&

.AVIATION...
ISSUED AT 337 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013

Low confidence forecast, with considerable uncertainty in the
frontal position/movement through the period. It does appear that
IFR conditions in heavy rain will prevail at all sites for most,
if not all of the TAF period. Lower conditions will be possible at
times, especially near the front, which unfortunately will be
draped across the terminals for much of the period. The potential
exists for some very strong and gusty south/southwest winds in the
warm sector Saturday afternoon and evening. This would be most
likely at KOWB, but cannot be ruled out at KPAH and KEVV.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...FLOOD WATCH through late tonight FOR ILZ075>078-080>094.

MO...FLOOD WATCH through late tonight FOR MOZ076-086-087-100-107>112-
     114.

IN...FLOOD WATCH through late tonight FOR INZ081-082-085>088.

KY...FLOOD WATCH through late tonight FOR KYZ001>022.

&&

SHORT TERM/FIRE WX...JP
LONG TERM/AVIATION...CW

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
950 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2013

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-211100-
JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON-
WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE-
HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH-
WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-
LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-
UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER-
RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
950 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION
TONIGHT. WHILE SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STORMS
WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN WHICH MAY INITIATE FLOODING IN SOME
LOCATIONS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. HEAVY RAIN IS
FORECAST WITH SOME FLOODING LIKELY. REFER TO THE FLOOD WATCH
PRODUCT FOR DETAILS.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED INTERMITTENTLY THROUGHOUT THE
DAY SATURDAY. WHILE HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE PRIMARY FOCUS...THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE FROM MID SATURDAY
AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR STRONG
TO SEVERE STORMS IS ACROSS WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND ADJACENT PARTS
OF EXTREME SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...AND THE FAR SOUTHEASTERN TIP OF
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. GIVEN THE STRONG WIND FIELDS ALOFT...LOCAL
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND PERHAPS A BRIEF SHORT-LIVED TORNADO OR TWO
APPEAR TO BE THE MAIN HAZARDS. HOWEVER...THE CHANCE OF SEVERE
STORMS WILL BE HIGHLY CONDITIONAL AND BASED ON THE EXTENT OF
ATMOSPHERIC DESTABILIZATION DURING THE AFTERNOON.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
IN ADDITION...REPORTS OF HEAVY RAIN AND/OR FLOODING ARE APPRECIATED
THROUGHOUT THE HEAVY RAIN EVENT.