By Todd Hatton
Grand Rivers, KY – National Weather Service meteorologists are predicting thunderstorms, tornadoes, and an increased likelihood of ice this winter throughout western Kentucky and southern Illinois. At a winter weather workshop in Grand Rivers last week, meteorologists said a predicted La Nina, three or more months of cooler than usual temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, will bring warmer, wetter and possibly more severe weather. According to the Paducah Sun, NWS Meteorologist Rick Shanklin says even though predicting whether ice or snow will hit is more difficult for the region, it is unlikely the area will see an icing event of the magnitude of the January 2009 ice storm.