Saturday, Dec. 25:

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you and your family have enjoyed your day.  For a large portion of the area, this has turned out to be the first white Christmas since the massive snowstorm that brought up to 14" of snow in 2004.  This was another example of how difficult and frustrating forecasting winter weather can be, with forecast models way underestimating snowfall across the northern half of the area....but hopefully there aren't too many of you upset by getting a little extra snow for our Christmas Day.  Here in the Paducah area, the NWS office reported 3.2" as of midnight last night, a record for one-day snowfall on Dec. 24. 

Just a quick word on the upcoming weather for the next week or so.....changes are in store for the final week of 2010.  We'll continue with a few flurries Sunday, then the trough and cyclonic upper level flow pattern that brought our snow will move east Monday as high pressure builds in, bringing a return to sunny skies.  Temperatures will remain cold through Tuesday, then winds will turn around to a southwesterly flow, leading to a warm up back to seasonal averages in the mid 40's by Wednesday.  A large trough will arrive by the end of the week, and with strong SW flow aloft and a warm front moving through at the surface, temperatures will shoot into the 50's Thursday and near 60 on New Year's Eve.  This will set the stage for a potent cold front to bring the chance for a lot of rain, maybe even thunderstorms, for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.  More on that system tomorrow.  Here is a look at the snow totals reported to the National Weather Service in Paducah as of around 2PM today:

 

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
223 PM CST SAT DEC 25 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0423 PM     SNOW             MOUNT ERIE              38.51N 88.23W
12/24/2010  M2.5 INCH        WAYNE              IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW BEGAN AT NOON WITH HEAVY SNOWFALL AT TIME OF
            OBSERVATION.

0428 PM     SNOW             DEXTER                  36.79N 89.96W
12/24/2010  M0.2 INCH        STODDARD           MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ROADS COVERED WITH SLEET AND SNOW AND ARE BECOMING SLICK.

0536 PM     SLEET            10 S POPLAR BLUFF       36.62N 90.41W
12/24/2010  E0.00 INCH       BUTLER             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SLICK COATING ON CARS AND GRASS.

0536 PM     SNOW             MOUNT CARMEL            38.42N 87.77W
12/24/2010  M2.2 INCH        WABASH             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0638 PM     SNOW             NEWBURGH                37.95N 87.40W
12/24/2010  M1.3 INCH        WARRICK            IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STREETS IN NEWBURGH WERE SNOW COVERD AND SLUSHY...MAKING
            THEM SLICK AND HAZARDOUS. THIS INCLUDED ROUTES 261, OUTER
            LINCOLN, HIGHWAY 662 AND SECONDARY STREETS IN TOWN AND
            SURROUDING SUBDIVISIONS.

0652 PM     SNOW             BEECH CREEK             37.18N 87.06W
12/24/2010  M3.2 INCH        MUHLENBERG         KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL VEHICLES STUCK ON HILLS AND SOME VEHICLES RUNNING
            OFF ROADS.

0659 PM     FREEZING RAIN    7 NW POPLAR BLUFF       36.84N 90.50W
12/24/2010  E0.00 INCH       BUTLER             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            FREEZING DRIZZLE MIXED WITH OCCASIONAL VERY LIGHT SNOW.
            DECKS GLAZED OVER. SOME ICE SPOTS ON ROADS. DUSTING OF
            SLEET AND LIGHT SNOW IN POPLAR BLUFF.

0903 PM     SNOW             SESSER                  38.09N 89.05W
12/24/2010  M5.0 INCH        FRANKLIN           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0930 PM     SNOW             METROPOLIS              37.15N 88.71W
12/24/2010  M1.5 INCH        MASSAC             IL   NWS EMPLOYEE

0940 PM     SNOW             MORTONS GAP             37.24N 87.47W
12/24/2010  E4.0 INCH        HOPKINS            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STILL SNOWING. REPORT RELAYED BY WFIE-TV.

0950 PM     SNOW             BRIENSBURG              36.90N 88.32W
12/24/2010  E3.5 INCH        MARSHALL           KY   PUBLIC

            REPORT RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

0950 PM     BLIZZARD         EVANSVILLE              37.98N 87.54W
12/24/2010                   VANDERBURGH        IN   BROADCAST MEDIA

            REPORT FROM WFIE-TV STUDIOS.

0950 PM     SNOW             CENTRAL CITY            37.30N 87.13W
12/24/2010  E4.0 INCH        MUHLENBERG         KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

0956 PM     SNOW             OWENSVILLE              38.27N 87.69W
12/24/2010  M2.5 INCH        GIBSON             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED BY WEHT-TV.

1000 PM     SNOW             WEST PADUCAH            37.08N 88.74W
12/24/2010  E3.8 INCH        MCCRACKEN          KY   PUBLIC

            LOCATED 2.5 MILES FROM EXIT 3 ON INTERSTATE 24. REPORT
            RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1000 PM     SNOW             ELKTON                  36.81N 87.16W
12/24/2010  E3.0 INCH        TODD               KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1000 PM     SNOW             LEDBETTER               37.05N 88.50W
12/24/2010  M2.5 INCH        LIVINGSTON         KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

1000 PM     SNOW             METROPOLIS              37.15N 88.71W
12/24/2010  M2.0 INCH        MASSAC             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1015 PM     SNOW             N MARION                37.73N 88.94W
12/24/2010  M3.0 INCH        WILLIAMSON         IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STILL SNOWING AT TIME OF OBSERVATION. REPORT RELAYED BY
            NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1015 PM     SNOW             GRAND RIVERS            37.01N 88.24W
12/24/2010  E3.5 INCH        LIVINGSTON         KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1026 PM     SNOW             HOPKINSVILLE            36.85N 87.49W
12/24/2010  M3.5 INCH        CHRISTIAN          KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW STILL FALLING AND ROADS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

1030 PM     SNOW             HARRISBURG              37.74N 88.55W
12/24/2010  M2.2 INCH        SALINE             IL   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            REPORT FROM SALINE COUNTY E-911.

1030 PM     SNOW             CARRIER MILLS           37.69N 88.63W
12/24/2010  M2.1 INCH        SALINE             IL   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            REPORT FROM SALINE COUNTY E-911.

1030 PM     SNOW             JOPPA                   37.21N 88.84W
12/24/2010  E2.0 INCH        MASSAC             IL   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

1036 PM     SNOW             5 SE BENTON             37.05N 89.50W
12/24/2010  M1.0 INCH        SCOTT              MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

1046 PM     SNOW             TATUMSVILLE             36.93N 88.31W
12/24/2010  M5.0 INCH        MARSHALL           KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1050 PM     SNOW             FORT BRANCH             38.25N 87.57W
12/24/2010  M3.0 INCH        GIBSON             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            APPROXIMATELY 1.4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW FELL IN THE LAST TWO
            HOURS.

1052 PM     SNOW             CENTRAL CITY            37.30N 87.13W
12/24/2010  E4.5 INCH        MUHLENBERG         KY   PUBLIC

            AVERAGED SNOWFALL...STILL SNOWING AT TIME OF OBSERVATION.
            REPORT RELAYED BY WEHT-TV.

1104 PM     SNOW             8 SE GREENVILLE         37.12N 87.08W
12/24/2010  M4.5 INCH        MUHLENBERG         KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOWFALL REPORT LOCATED 4 MILES WEST OF PENROD KENTUCKY.

1112 PM     SNOW             KEVIL                   37.08N 88.89W
12/24/2010  M3.0 INCH        BALLARD            KY   NWS EMPLOYEE

            REPORT FROM OFF DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE.

1116 PM     SNOW             GRACEY                  36.88N 87.66W
12/24/2010  M3.5 INCH        CHRISTIAN          KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER REPORTED THAT TRAFFICE ON ROUTE 68 WAS MOVING
            AROUND 45 MPH. SOME SLICK SPOTS ON AREA ROADS AND SOME
            ROADS WERE COMPLETELY SNOW COVERED.

1130 PM     SNOW             CUNNINGHAM              36.92N 88.91W
12/24/2010  E4.0 INCH        CARLISLE           KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1130 PM     SNOW             8 ESE GREENVILLE        37.16N 87.04W
12/24/2010  M4.8 INCH        MUHLENBERG         KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOWFALL REPORT FROM SPOTTER IN BEECHMONT KENTUCKY AND
            REPRESENTS A 11 1/2 HOUR STORM TOTAL SINCE NOON. AIR
            TEMPERATURE WAS 33 DEGREES.

1140 PM     SNOW             3 N BROOKPORT           37.17N 88.63W
12/24/2010  M3.0 INCH        MASSAC             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1144 PM     SNOW             KELLY                   36.95N 87.48W
12/24/2010  M4.0 INCH        CHRISTIAN          KY   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            STORM TOTAL DURING THE PAST EIGHT HOURS. LIGHT SNOW WAS
            STILL FALLING. NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS REPORTED SINCE
            NOON...WITH AT ONE INJURY REPORTED AT THE TIME OF THE
            REPORT.

1159 PM     SNOW             PADUCAH                 37.07N 88.64W
12/24/2010  M3.2 INCH        MCCRACKEN          KY   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL FOR DECEMBER 24...2010. ALSO
            REPRESENTS A RECORD SNOWFALL FOR THAT DATE FOR PADUCAH.

1159 PM     SNOW             EVANSVILLE              37.98N 87.54W
12/24/2010  M3.0 INCH        VANDERBURGH        IN   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL FOR EVANSVILLE FOR DECEMBER
            24...2010. OBSERVATION TAKEN AT FIRE STATION AT
            EVANSVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT. THIS SNOWFALL ALSO
            REPRESENTS A NEW RECORD SNOWFALL FOR THIS DATE.

1200 AM     SNOW             3 WNW BENTON            36.87N 88.41W
12/25/2010  E4.5 INCH        MARSHALL           KY   PUBLIC

            REPORT RELAYED BY NWSCHAT PARTICIPANT.

1202 AM     SNOW             OWENSBORO               37.76N 87.12W
12/25/2010  E2.2 INCH        DAVIESS            KY   PUBLIC

            PUBLIC REPORT RELAYED BY WEHT-TV. LIGHT DUSTING ON
            DRIVEWAYS AND SIDEWALKS. ROADS SLUSHY.

1203 AM     SNOW             NEWBURGH                37.95N 87.40W
12/25/2010  M3.2 INCH        WARRICK            IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL. ROADS SLUSHY AND SNOW COVERED.
            TEMPERATURE 28 DEGREES AT TIME OF REPORT.

1212 AM     SNOW             2 NE MADISONVILLE       37.36N 87.48W
12/25/2010  M2.2 INCH        HOPKINS            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MAJOR ROADS PASSABLE. SIDE ROADS SLICK AND SNOW COVERED.

1222 AM     SNOW             OWENSBORO               37.76N 87.12W
12/25/2010  M2.2 INCH        DAVIESS            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOWFALL TOTAL SINCE 6 PM CST.

0155 AM     SNOW             PADUCAH                 37.07N 88.64W
12/25/2010  M4.0 INCH        MCCRACKEN          KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MEASURED ACCUMULATION AT MAXON ROAD IN PADUCAH.

0157 AM     SNOW             SYMSONIA                36.90N 88.51W
12/25/2010  E4.5 INCH        GRAVES             KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

0208 AM     SNOW             NEW HARMONY             38.13N 87.93W
12/25/2010  M6.0 INCH        POSEY              IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0208 AM     SNOW             POSEYVILLE              38.17N 87.78W
12/25/2010  M6.0 INCH        POSEY              IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOWFALL TOTAL SINCE THE SNOW STARTED AT 1130 AM ON
            12/24/2010.

0436 AM     SNOW             EVANSVILLE              37.98N 87.54W
12/25/2010  M3.0 INCH        VANDERBURGH        IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT FROM SPOTTER IN THE ANGEL MOUNDS AREA.

0444 AM     SNOW             MOUNT ERIE              38.51N 88.23W
12/25/2010  M5.0 INCH        WAYNE              IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            APPROXIMATELY 2.5 INCHES FELL IN THE LAST 10 HOURS. ROADS
            ARE SNOW COVERED AND SLICK.

0630 AM     SNOW             BEECH CREEK             37.18N 87.06W
12/25/2010  E1.0 INCH        MUHLENBERG         KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            0.90 OF NEW SNOWFALL. STORM TOTAL IS 4.7 INCHES.

0700 AM     SNOW             WADESVILLE              38.10N 87.79W
12/25/2010  E3.5 INCH        POSEY              IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            3.5 INCHES OF NEW SNOWFALL. SNOW DEPTH IS 4.0 INCHES.

0703 AM     SNOW             MURRAY                  36.61N 88.32W
12/25/2010  E1.0 INCH        CALLOWAY           KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW DEPTH ONE INCH.

0752 AM     SNOW             BASKETT                 37.87N 87.46W
12/25/2010  E4.1 INCH        HENDERSON          KY   PUBLIC

            TOTAL SNOWFALL 4.1 INCHES.

0755 AM     SNOW             MORGANFIELD             37.68N 87.91W
12/25/2010  E3.0 INCH        UNION              KY   PUBLIC

            SNOW DEPTH 3 INCHES.

0759 AM     SNOW             MOUNT CARMEL            38.42N 87.77W
12/25/2010  E3.0 INCH        WABASH             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STORM TOTAL 3 INCHES.

0800 AM     SNOW             ELVA                    36.93N 88.48W
12/25/2010  E5.5 INCH        MARSHALL           KY   STORM CHASER

            TOTAL SNOWFALL 5.5 INCHES.

0800 AM     SNOW             ALBION                  38.38N 88.06W
12/25/2010  E4.0 INCH        EDWARDS            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STORM TOTAL 4 INCHES.

0805 AM     SNOW             EVANSVILLE              37.98N 87.54W
12/25/2010  M3.0 INCH        VANDERBURGH        IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TOTAL SNOWFALL MEASURED AT 3 TO 3.5 INCHES.

0811 AM     SNOW             ELKTON                  36.81N 87.16W
12/25/2010  E3.0 INCH        TODD               KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW DEPTH IS 3 INCHES. STORM TOTAL 2.7 INCHES.

0827 AM     SNOW             MURRAY                  36.61N 88.32W
12/25/2010  M1.0 INCH        CALLOWAY           KY   EMERGENCY MNGR

            1 INCH OF SNOW MEASURED ON SNOWBOARD.

0923 AM     SNOW             DAWSON SPRINGS          37.17N 87.69W
12/25/2010  E4.1 INCH        HOPKINS            KY   PUBLIC

            TOTAL SNOWFALL 4.1 INCHES.

0959 AM     SNOW             OWENSBORO               37.76N 87.12W
12/25/2010  E2.0 INCH        DAVIESS            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW DEPTH IS 2 INCHES.

1151 AM     SNOW             5 W MURRAY              36.61N 88.41W
12/25/2010  E1.1 INCH        CALLOWAY           KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TOTAL SNOWFALL 1.1 INCHES.