A Paducah National Weather Service forecaster said the best chance for severe weather this weekend is in west Kentucky. According to Paducah NWS, Kentucky should expect excessive rainfall tonight with heavier rains tomorrow morning.
Lead forecaster Chris Noles said damaging winds are the main hazard but tornadoes are possible. He said winds are categorized as severe when they reach 58 miles per hour.
“Super saturated ground conditions will not take 60 mile per hour winds to bring down some trees across the area,” Noles said. “The threshold will be lower. I think 50 miles per hour winds will be certainly concerning if a tree comes down on a power line.”
Noles said in west Kentucky there is enhanced risk for severe storms Saturday near the Tennessee border. He said there is slight risk in northern counties.
Hydrologist Mary Lamm said a flash flood watch is in effect through Saturday evening for much of the state. She said western Kentucky is expected to receive an extra two to three inches of rainfall over the weekend.
“We are having a lot of problems with backwater and I would expect that with the heavier rain coming in tonight that you will start seeing flood warnings if not flash flood warnings across a lot of the area,” Lamm said.
NWS projects rainfall of around 2 inches on the Ohio River through Sunday. Lamm said once the weather system leaves the area, the state should start drying out and recovering from the rainfall.
Kentucky Emergency Management Area 1 manager Jeremy Blansett said Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, Hickman, Livingston, Marshall and McCracken counties have all declared states of emergency.
