Severe weather is expected to impact parts of western Kentucky and Tennessee – as well as southern Illinois – beginning Friday evening and into Saturday.
All of southern Illinois and far western Kentucky – past Hopkinsville – is expected to be at a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms late Friday evening. Tennessee communities from Waverly and westward will be at risk for severe weather as well.
Keith Cooley, lead forecaster for the Paducah office of the National Weather Service, said that damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes could impact the region during a briefing Friday morning. He said it has the potential to be “a pretty dangerous and concerning severe weather event.”
“Right now, all the hazards still look possible,” Cooley said. “We still would have a good chance at seeing large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds out of any of those storms that develop.”
High winds – with gusts up to 70 mph – are expected to move the storm system quickly across the region. Cooley said this round of storms is likely to enter the area between 7 and 10 p.m. and exit between midnight and 4 a.m. Saturday morning.
Nighttime tornadoes are nearly twice as likely to be deadly.
Cooley said this storm system has the potential to produce significant tornadoes – perhaps EF-2 or greater – and that people in the region should stay aware of weather developments as this weather event makes its way across the area.
“A majority of our tornado fatalities happen at night. So, unfortunately … the fact that it is overnight, it becomes even more dangerous,” he said.
Saturday holds the potential for more dangerous weather, though at a marginal or slight risk for the area. Cooley said that damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes will remain possible into the afternoon and evening, but that heavy rainfall and flash flooding could impact the region.
The heaviest rainfall projected across the WKMS service area through Saturday is expected to fall in Hopkinsville, which could see as much as two inches in a little more than 24 hours.
For updated weather warnings and forecast information, check the Paducah and Memphis National Weather Service offices’ social media channels.
