000 AWUS83 KJKL 031940 RWSJKL KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-040900- REGIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 340 PM EDT THU APR 3 2008 AN AREA OF RAIN BEGAN SEEPING INTO THE COAL FIELDS AROUND SUNRISE THIS MORNING. THIS AREA OF RAIN EVENTUALLY OVERSPREAD MOST OF EASTERN KENTUCKY THROUGHOUT THE DAY...AND EXITED THE COMMONWEALTH DURING THE MID AFTERNOON HOURS. ANOTHER AREA OF RAIN BEGAN EDGING INTO THE WESTERN FRINGES OF THE COAL FIELDS FROM CENTRAL KENTUCKY DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THIS SECOND AREA OF PRECIPITATION HAD SOME EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS...ALONG WITH SOME MODERATE AND HEAVY RAIN. THIS SECOND AREA WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. RAINFALL TOTALS FROM EARLY THIS MORNING THROUGH MID AFTERNOON VARIED FROM AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH...TO AROUND THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH. THE HIGHER AMOUNTS WERE MOSTLY IN THE WESTERN COAL FIELDS...AND IN SOUTHERN BELL COUNTY. TEMPERATURES ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY AT 7 AM RANGED FROM THE LOWER 40S IN THE COOLER SHELTERED VALLEYS...TO THE MIDDLE 50S ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN KENTUCKY. NORMAL LOWS FOR EARLY APRIL ARE IN THE LOWER 40S. THE CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION HAMPERED THE MERCURY SOMEWHAT TODAY...WITH MID AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE UPPER 40S THROUGH THE MIDDLE 50S. TYPICAL HIGHS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR ARE IN THE MIDDLE 60S. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SWING A WARM FRONT THROUGH EASTERN KENTUCKY TONIGHT...AND DRAG A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE COAL FIELDS ON FRIDAY. RAIN SHOWERS AND OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH LATE FRIDAY. HEAVY RAINFALL IS INDEED POSSIBLE. RAINFALL TOTALS THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY ARE EXPECTED TO AVERAGE TWO TO FOUR INCHES ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. SIGNIFICANT RIVER AND CREEK RISES ARE ANTICIPATED...WITH SEVERAL FORECAST POINTS ALONG THE RED...CUMBERLAND AND KENTUCKY RIVERS FORECAST TO SURPASS FLOOD STAGES. TUNE INTO YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL MEDIA OUTLET...NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO...OR LOG ON TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV/JKL FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS HEAVY RAIN EVENT. REMEMBER...TURN AROUND DON/T DROWN. DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO EASTERN KENTUCKY THIS WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE REGION. HIGHS ON SATURDAY WILL BE AROUND 60 DEGREES...AND WARM TO NEAR 70 DEGREES ON SUNDAY. ON THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY...IN 1987...SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY WAS IN THE MIDST OF ONE OF THE ALL TIME HEAVIEST SNOWFALLS TO HIT AREA...SETTING RECORDS FOR SNOWFALL THROUGH APRIL 5TH. LIGHT SNOW BEGAN FALLING MIDDAY ON APRIL 2ND 1987...WITH ONE TO TWO INCHES ACCUMULATING ALONG THE KENTUCKY AND VIRGINIA BORDER. BY DAWN ON THE 3RD...FOUR INCHES OF SNOW BLANKETED THE CUMBERLAND MOUNTAIN REGION OF SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY. BY THE EVENING OF THE 3RD...SNOW TOTALS RANGED FROM SEVEN INCHES IN JACKSON TO MORE THAN EIGHTEEN INCHES IN THE COUNTIES ALONG THE VIRGINIA BORDER. IN THE CUMBERLAND GAP AREA...THE SNOW WAS MEASURED AT 60 INCHES...OR 5 FEET. THE HEAVY WET SNOW BROKE MANY POWER LINES...RESULTING IN MORE THAN 18 THOUSAND RESIDENTS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY. ROADS WERE VERY HAZARDOUS AND EVEN IMPASSABLE IN SOME AREAS DUE TO DOWNED TREES. A SECOND SURGE OF SNOW STARTED ON APRIL 4TH...AND BY THE 5TH...MOST OF SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY WAS BURIED UNDER ONE TO THREE FEET OF SNOW. GUSTY WINDS PRODUCED DRIFTS AS HIGH AS TEN FEET HIGH IN LETCHER COUNTY. $$ CARICO/JJ