Eastern Pacific's First Tropical Storm

The tropical season began on May 15 in the Eastern Pacific (or East PAC in weatherman terms). We just saw the first storm develop and hit Central America with torrential rains.

Here is a story with more information about Tropical Storm Agatha.

Agatha Hammers Guatemala With Rain, Mudslides

The tropical season for the Atlantic Basin begins tomorrow, June 1.

Lot's Of Wind, Hail - More In Store Over Holiday Weekend

Below is a map of storm reports across the lower 48 states on Friday.

It was the first day in 10 days without a tornado report. At least as of this blog post - just a little after 11 pm MDT.

There are a few strong to severe storms currently rumbling over eastern Montana - so I suppose there could still be a tornado report before the day is over.

And there was even some hail in Alaska. Here is one storm report I found.

1/4 TO 1/2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL WAS OBSERVED AT THE TANANA

AIRPORT FROM 657 PM UNTIL 708 PM. THE HAIL COVERED THE

GROUND IN THE VILLAGE.

The outlook for the Memorial Day weekend is pretty good for most - there will be some strong to severe storms Saturday afternoon in the northern and central Rockies and across the northern plains states.

That threat will spread southeast into Kansas and the central and southern plains by Sunday.

Monday actually looks fairly quiet for most locations.

Hurricane Season & Gulf Oil Disaster

It seems like every other news headline over the past few days has been thoughts and predictions about the upcoming hurricane season and the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

I typically try not to make this blog too opinionated....sticking to things like weather facts and forecasts....but today I am just in the mood to talk about this.

First...I just heard a news report saying some fear the Gulf of Mexico will heat up to abnormal levels due to the oil floating on the surface and it being a darker color....which would attract and trap more heat.

And climatologically....most June tropical systems develop in the Gulf of Mexico.

So that naturally brings about the fear of what would happen if a hurricane struck before this disaster is resolved?

Well - I don't think anyone really knows. We can all speculate, but we've never faced anything like this in history that I know of, so there is no baseline to go from.

I can tell you this....one of my fears would be the storm surge taking the oil inland. But something that could be a positive is a hurricane could break up the oil and disperse it over a large area....essentially breaking up the massive glob of muck and danger - and diluting it to the point where the danger might not be as severe as it is now to things like seas life - which could be a good thing.

Hurricanes churn and there is a lot of upwelling and turbidity involved as the storm moves over the ocean. Water from deep within comes up to the surface and there is a tremendous amount of mixing if you will.

We should definitely have some "what if" plans in place because it is just good and smart to plan ahead. But no matter what we do, a hurricane is going to come if Mother Nature cooks one up - we can't stop it.

So in the short term, I think we just need to keep on focusing all efforts on stopping the flow of oil and cleaning up the damage that has been done.

But - it also doesn't hurt to come up with a few scenarios for a hurricane in the oil infested Gulf waters and start some public education on the what ifs so that we are prepared.

With regard to the hurricane season forecast...I think the media hypes this WAY too much. While I appreciate the efforts and science behind hurricane forecasting, the truth is - that is probably one of the most inaccurate branches of forecasting in my humble opinion.

The forecast for 2005 was like 14 to 17 named storms I think - and we had 27 - with multiple major hurricanes striking land.

Many of the same conditions that existed that year are in place now - warm waters and low wind shear. In 2005 there was a slight El Nino developing and this year there is not - so I think given what happened in 2005 - forecasters are playing it safe and going with a "worse case scenario" forecast so the public has adequate warning.

And that isn't a bad thing - we need more public education for sure.

Warm In Alaska

It is rather hot here today in the Denver area - temperatures are flirting with 90 degrees. So I got to thinking hmmm....I bet it feels nice in Alaska.

The first placed I clicked was Fairbanks and it shocked me to see a high today expected in the 70s to near 80 degrees!

Afternoon temperatures in the 70s are also expected around Anchorage and Bettles. Now there is still a little cold to be found up past the Arctic Circle with low to mid 30s on the northern coast of Alaska around Barrow today.

Here is a public information statement fro Fairbanks on the 80-degree weather.

AT 626 PM ON WED. 5/26 - THE TEMPERATURE HIT 80 DEGREES AT THE FAIRBANKS


INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS TIED THE RECORD HIGH THAT WAS LAST SET

IN 2002. IT IS ALSO THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR THAT THE HIGH

TEMPERATURE HIT 80 DEGREES AT THE AIRPORT.



ON AVERAGE...THE FIRST 80 DEGREE DAY DOES NOT OCCUR UNTIL JUNE

12TH...AND THE TEMPERATURE ONLY REACHES 80 DEGREES IN FAIRBANKS

DURING THE MONTH OF MAY ON ABOUT ONE OUT OF FOUR YEARS.



ON AVERAGE...THERE ARE 11 DAYS EACH YEAR WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE

OF 80 DEGREES OR WARMER AT THE FAIRBANKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

LAST SUMMER THERE WERE 19 DAYS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 80

DEGREES OR WARMER...AND BACK IN 2006 THE 80 DEGREE MARK WAS ONLY

HIT ON 2 DAYS ALL SUMMER.

Summer Preview In New England

It was a scorcher today in many parts of New England with record highs as temperatures soared well into the 90s. Some locations recorded their highest May temperature ever, such as Providence, Rhode Island at 96 degrees.

Boston, Mass. set a new record high at 90 degrees.  It was 99 degrees in Hartford, Conn..

As the evening hours fell, a round of severe thunderstorms moved across the region with numerous reports of large hail, tree damage and power lines down.

Even as I write this late evening blog there are still active warnings for some locations across most counties in CT.

More Of The Same - Weather Lesson

Below is a picture of the jet stream winds up around 25,000 feet for later in the week - almost a mirror image of the pattern in place today.

There is a large trough of low pressure parked over the west with a large bubble of high pressure (or a ridge) over the east.

Where the two meet, under and just either side of the jet stream (the line in green) is where the major weather can be found.

Under the low (big red "L") it is cooler than normal and somewhat unsettled. Under the high (big blue "H") it is warm and mostly dry.

And under the jet stream (thick green line)  it is windy! And at times, stormy! There have been several tornadoes over the past few days right along and to the right of the jet stream, from north Texas to North Dakota.

Expect the pattern to continue into the weekend before things shift and the flow becomes more zonal, or west to east, as shown in the picture below which is a forecast of the winds next week.

In this type of pattern it would be fairly seasonal for most of the country with the active weather well to the north, under the jet stream.

This would allow the temperatures in the deserts of the southwest to really start hearing up! That low over southern California is called a "Heat Low" this time of the year.

With it, fire danger could increase across southern California as the flow is from the higher mountains toward the coast - hot and dry.

National Hurricane Preparedness Week & Safe Boating Week

It's time to start thinking about hurricane season - it starts a week from tomorrow, on June 1st.

This week there is a national campaign to educate coastal citizens on the dangers of hurricanes. It isn't just the wind and rain, but flooding, tornadoes too.

So if you live on or near the Gulf or Atlantic coasts, please click the link below and check it each day this week for a new topic.

Click here for National Hurricane Preparedness Week

It's also National Safe Boating week in the United States - and even if you have been on the water all your life, it doesn't hurt to just take a few minutes and review the latest thoughts on boating safety.

Topics include lightning safety, navigation rules, dangerous waves and more.

Click here for National Safe Boating Week information.

Live Storm Chase

Follow storm chaser Verne Carlson right now LIVE from his car in east-central Wyoming. As I blog he is watching a wall cloud.

Click here to chase with Verne!

Pattern Shift Ahead, And Maybe Some Tropical Trouble?

Well after weeks of cool, unsettled weather for a large portion of the nation - a pattern shift over the next few days will change things up a bit and give some of our southern states a much needed break from the severe weather.

A ridge of high pressure is currently building across the center of the US. This will shift the main storm track well to the north, bringing plenty of low-level moisture into the northern plains on southerly winds.

We may see some strong to severe thunderstorms as far north as the Canadian border in the coming days.

Along with the ridge means an increase in the temperatures - with widespread 80s and even lower 90s across the middle states - possibly as far north as southern Minnesota!

Meanwhile, looking out into the future - the GFS forecast model shows an area of low pressure developing off the coast of the Carolinas as we head into the middle of next week.

The low pressure sits and spins off the coast for at least 2 to 3 days.

In the event this happens, it will definitely be the cause for unsettled weather along the Atlantic coastline as we head into the Memorial Day weekend.

Will it be a tropical low? Hard to say this early in the game....it's hard to say if the low will even form....but we are approaching the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season which officially starts on June 1.

So stay tuned!

Meanwhile, here is a look from the Gulf Coast of Florida as a cold front approaches. This shot is courtesy of one of our CoCoRaHS observers. The system produced strong gusty winds up to 60 MPH!

Tornado Outbreak Wasn't As Intense As Feared

The tornado outbreak that was forecast for Oklahoma and vicinity did in fact happen - but the 2 dozen reported tornadoes were mostly weak, short-lived events that happened over open range.

A few towns did manage to get a little damage from the storms and there were some power outages, but all in all, it wasn't nearly as bad as the outbreak a few weeks ago.

Here is a map of the storm reports from Wednesday.

If you look on the map above you will notice a tornado report from eastern Washington state. There was a reported tornado touchdown near Moses Lake on Wednesday afternoon. One resident saw it up close.

Click the link below to read more and see a video.

Link to story about Washington State tornado.

Here is the official report to the National Weather Service.

TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF MOSES LAKE ON NE ROAD P. TORNADO ESTIMATED 300 FEET WIDE AND WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 1/2 TO 3/4 OF A MILE. LIFTED AN OLD BARN 20 FEET OFF THE GROUND AND DROPPED IT 30 FEET FROM ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION. TIME ESTIMATED 615-620PM PDT.

Incredible Hail Video

Check out this link to a video of the hailstorm that hit Oklahoma City earlier this week.

It is amazing! You can see the force of the hail by the splash in the pool. It gets pretty wild about 2 to 2.5 minutes into the video.

Amazing hail video!

Poor Oklahoma, Under The Gun Again!

The Storms Prediction Center just issued a meso-scale discussion for central Oklahoma - storms will initiate soon and they will likely grow into large supercells very quickly.

The ingredients are in place for the storms to rotate and put down long-track tornadoes.

Tornado Outbreak Forecasted Wednesday

From current indications, we could have another large tornado outbreak on our hands Wednesday across sections of Oklahoma and north Texas.

If you watch The Weather Channel, Dr. Greg Forbes has came out with his official tornado forecast called TOR:CON - giving a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 for the threat of twisters within 50 miles of a particular area.

He is giving southern Oklahoma a 9 out of 10 - pretty darn high!

So if you live in the mentioned areas - be alert to the weather over the next 24 hours.

Tornado Touches Down In Wyoming

Check out this tornado caught after 3pm Tuesday just outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I didn't take the pic - it was from a traffic camera I belive is what I saw.

Severe Weather Outbreak Begins Today

Severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes are possible today from eastern Colorado and New Mexico into western Oklahoma and Texas.

That threat will spread eastward over the next few days.

The most intense day as it stands right now looks to be Wednesday for areas of central Oklahoma and north-central Texas - including Dallas, Abilene, Wichita Falls and Oklahoma City.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City is still cleaning up from not only the deadly tornadoes earlier this month, but also from a significant hail storm on Sunday.

Hail the size of grapefruit pummeled the city and caused millions of dollars in damage.

A jogger was caught outside during the hailstorm and was pelted with the large hailstones - you have to click the link below to see his picture. It is just amazing!

Click here to see jogger!

Below is a map of the new storm system in the west that will spawn a 3-day severe weather outbreak starting today.

Week Ahead: Continued Active

On the map below, I have drawn two large purple circles around the main weather stories we'll be looking at this week.

#1 - the stalled front over the Ohio River Valley in the southeast. Showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast today from St. Louis to Washington DC. This is the same upper-level storm system that sat over the central Rockies last week bringing day after day of inclement weather to places like Colorado.

The southern end of that disturbed area is a little cold front over north Texas and Louisiana. This will be the focal point for isolated severe thunderstorms later today.

#2 - a new storm system is moving on shore in the Pacific Northwest today and it will spread showers and thunderstorms with some mountain snow into Washington and Oregon, as well as the northern half of California. It will spread into the central and northern Rockies for the middle of the work week. BY Wednesday, it will spawn some severe weather in the central plains states.

Think It's Been Wet?

The map below shows the total accumulated precipitation for the last 7 days across the nation - it's been a wet one for many! With few exceptions - just about the entire lower 48 states have seen measurable precipitation.

And it has been a rather cool spring thus far for many of us. Here in Denver, we are running almost 8 degrees cooler than average so far this May! Other cooler-than-normal locations thus far in May include...

Phoenix, Arizona - 2 degrees cooler than average

Pendleton, Oregon - 3 degrees cooler than average

Bismarck, North Dakota - 8 degrees cooler than average

Grand Rapids, Michigan - 1 degree cooler than average

Waterloo, Iowa - 4 degrees cooler than average

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - 2 degrees cooler than average

Places from Atlanta, Georgia to Burlington, Vermont are running about 1 to 2 degrees ABOVE normal thus far this May.

Texas Rains - Holy Buckets!

Texas received widespread heavy rain on Friday - with daily rainfall records set in several cities - including Houston, Galveston and Midland.

This morning, heavy rain has been falling in Victoria, Texas.

It prompted an alert to be issued that I have never seen before on the National Weather Service maps. It was called a "Shelter In Place" warning. Here is the text.

MANY STREETS ACROSS THE COUNTY OF VICTORIA HAVE BEEN INUNDATED WITH


FLASH FLOODING. THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR HAS REQUESTED

THAT RESIDENTS OF VICTORIA COUNTY STAY AT HOME DURING THE MORNING

HOURS OF MAY 15TH 2010 DUE MANY STREETS ARE IMPASSABLE. THIS

MORNING...EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE OVERWHELMED WITH HIGH WATER

RESCUES.

Nashville Flooding Video

Look at this amazing video as flood waters rush into a retail store in the Nashville area during the recent flood event.

Watch Flood Video Here

We all have heard about the power of water, and for many, have either witnessed or maybe even personally experienced it.

This is video confirmation of it!

Hurricane Season Days Away

This Saturday marks the beginning of hurricane season for the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Forecasters will be watching the waters off the west coast of Mexico for any signs of tropical storm formation.

Shortly thereafter, on June 1, the hurricane season gets underway for the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Carribbean Sea.

The National Hurricane Center has made some changes to their products for the upcoming season, one of the biggest is they will be adding 12 hours of additional lead time to all watches and warnings that are issued.

Another change is to the actual advisory products issued to the public. They will now be organized into sections and will use bullet points and lists to highlight important information - letting the eye quickly identify keywords and find specific information quickly.

There will also be some changes to the "forecast cone" as well as some new experimental forecast products.

Click here to read a full listing of these changes and additions!

Here We Snow Again

Well below are some pictures from traffic cameras around the Denver metro. Most of the city saw 1 to 3 inches with some 3 to 6 inch totals in the higher suburbs and up north toward Wyoming.

This is a great radar from the Denver area around 10 pm Tuesday. Snow, rain, thunderstorms - you got it all with a good spring storm in the Rockies!

Currently getting thundersnow at my house!

50-Degree Spread

If you drove US Highway 287 today from Larimie, Wyoming to Amarillo, Texas - you woud encounter a 50-degree difference in temperatures.

As I write this blog temperatures are in the middle to upper 30s across southeast Wyoming while they are in the upper 80s across the Texas panhandle.

Colorado is the battle ground with the largest temperature spread from north to south. I have a map below with Highway 287 outlined and the boundaries of the two airmasses.

Monday was a deadly day in Oklahoma as severe thunderstorms with strong tornadoes moved through the center of the state.

I am sure you have all heard the amazing survival stories on the news.

A new tornado watch has just been issued for southwest Oklahoma for the threat of thunderstorms with possible tornadoes as we head into the evening hours.

Oklahoma City is on the extreme eastern edge of this watch box - so residents should keep abreast of the latest.

Spring & Winter Storms

While much of Kansas and Oklahoma will be under the gun today for severe storms with high winds and large hail - and possibly long-track tornadoes - in and around Denver - we are preparing for a late season winter storm.

Areas just south and west of Denver are under a watch for the potential to see several inches of heavy, wet snow.

In the city of Denver, we are expecting a rain and snow mix with maybe a few inches on the grassy surfaces.

This will unfold more as we get into the day on Tuesday - just who sees what and when. One model went crazy with snow totals of 25 to 50 inches in the foothills west of Denver. That'd be one heck of a weather headline if it happened this late in the year!

But for now - let's focus on Kansas and Oklahoma - and the surrounding areas - as they will be under the gun  for a potentially rough evening of weather.

If the tornadoes do form - they will target the more populated areas between Wichita, KS and Tulsa, OK - so keep on alert today in this part of the world.

Lotta Wind, Lotta Cold

Well the severe weather event I blogged about yesterday came to fruition - BUT - it wasn't as intense as some forecasters feared it could be.

There were plenty of severe thunderstorm warnings and even some tornado warnings - and there were some reports of damage - but all in all - not too bad.

Here is a map of the severe weather reports from Friday.

Another weather story we're following today is the cold temperatures in the northern and central Rockies and the across the plains states.

Just look at all the cold weather advisories in blue on the map below!

Snow has been flying across the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana with the cold air - in fact- Duluth, Minnesota picked up one of their largest May snowfalls ever with nearly 5 inches!

Moderate Risk For Storms Today, Will It Compare To 1985 Tornado Outbreak?

The Storms Prediction Center is forecasting a moderate risk of severe weather across northern Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, northeast Indiana and southwest upstate New York. I would also include portions of southern Ontario, Canada in that threat area too.

The Weather Channel's Dr. Greg Forbes has given this region a 60% chance of a tornado on his TORCON index.  SEE MORE HERE

Ironically, this same region saw a huge tornado outbreak in May of 1985 that killed a total of 88 people - 65 of which were in Pennsylvania.

The setting for the storms today is a warm front draped across the region along with an area of low pressure that will deepen and drag a cold front across the area later today. This setup is similar to the set up in 1985.

I was reading the forecast discussion for that region and forecasters were talking about a cap in the atmosphere and dry air in place. This may delay the outbreak of severe weather, but it may also result in the formation of well developed supercells, giving the storms more time to rotate.

Hopefully - if we do see a tornado event today - it won't be deadly. My hunch is that this part of the world isn't as used to tornado outbreaks as people in the south or plains states - so many were caught off guard or didn't have a tornado action plan in 1985. Not to mention it was 1985 and technology and forecasting has come a long way since then.


But if you live in this part of the world or have friends and family there - just take a little extra time today to think of what you will do in the event you find yourself facing a tornadic storm. Or call your friends and family and ask them to do the same.

REMEMBER: lowest level of the structure you are in, and hopefully in an interior room away from doors and windows. PROTECT YOUR HEAD! (either be under sturdy furniture, or use a mattress or pillow) This is key - flying debris is what often kills people during a tornado.
Forecasters look for backing winds with height during a severe weather outbreak and we definitely have that in place today across the region at risk.

The picture below is a Skew-T diagram from Detroit this morning. It is drawn as the daily weather balloon goes up and collects data. Look at the far right and you will see the wind vectors.

At the bottom right, we have southeast winds at the surface, but as you go up in height, they become south, then southwesterly. This is called backing.

Another thing forecasters look for when trying to deterine if conditions are right for a large-scale tornado outbreak is shear - that is a difference in speed as the winds back - going from slower to faster with height.

Right now it isn't a huge difference, although a little shear is present. I am sure by the afternoon balloon release this will change as the storm system evolves throughout the day.

If you are curious to learn more about the large and deadly tornado outbreak on May 31, 1985 - CLICK HERE.

New Storm Shelter Ahead Of Next Outbreak

The long range forecast models paint a very active week coming up - with some cold air moving into the lower 48 states early next week.

The air is cold enough that one model I saw has rain and snow for the Denver area by next Wednesday if you can believe that one!

I can - the average May snowfall in Denver is 1.3 inches!

Along with that cold air will come the chance for a severe weather outbreak in the central and southern plains. The Storms Prediction Center says the way things look right now, the stage could be set for storms with significant tornadoes on Monday, May 10 - across western and central Kansas, Oklahoma, and northern Texas.

The map below shows the threat area.

It is a pretty safe bet to say that next week will be active after a fairly quiet Mother's Day weekend coming up. How active? Well - those details will unfold in the days to come.

And speaking of storms - a friend of mine in Arkansas just had a storm shelter installed in her yard after years of close calls and seeking safety from passing thunderstorms.

This past weekend - Arkansas was the focus of a pretty significant tornado outbreak with over a dozen reported touchdowns that left a lot of damage, several injuries and even one death.

As a native of Arkansas - storms can be just plain scary. You can get a lot of nighttime tornadoes in the south - and those are the most dangerous - not to mention the most scary.

Here are some pictures of her new storm shelter!

The first picture is the storm shelter being delivered. The second is after the shelter is placed in the ground.She writes that she is really happy with the new shelter! It is guaranteed not to leak for 10 years!

The shelter is made of 1/4 inch steel and concrete and has 3 steps going down that are covered with carpet. There is also carpeting on the benches and the floor inside.

The state of Arkansas has a rebate program for those interested in getting a storm shelter installed. You can get $1,000 or 50% of the cost back, whichever is less.

Click here to learn more.

And if you are not in Arkansas, but live in another tornado prone state, check with your office of emergency management to see if there might be a similar program in your state.

My aunt, who also lives in Arkansas, had a safe room installed in her house. The closet of her master bedroom is completely surrounded by a steel frame, cinder bock and I believe some type of additional reinforcing - and instead of a normal closet door - it has a big, heavy steel door. So in the event of a tornado, this is where they seek shelter.

If you can't afford a storm shelter at this time, please consider at least having a NOAA weather radio. They are affordable and can be purchased online or at selected retailers, like Radio Shack.

This radio is connected to the National Weather Service. It has an alarm you can set that will sound whenever any type of weather watch or warning is issued for your area.

You will get the alert at the exact same time the media outlets get their data - and while most television and radio stations react quickly - those 1 or 2 minutes of additional lead time could just be the window you need to seek safety in your home or office.

NOAA weather radios come in all shapes and sizes and are battery operated. Here is a link to several models starting at just $24.95 plus shipping!

Click here for the weather radio store!

Winter Not Finished Yet

And as we talk about cold air moving into the country next week - we are already dealing with the first wave of cold air. Heavy snow is in the forecast for portions of the Dakotas!!!

Click here for a weather briefing from the NWS office in Bismarck!

Tornado In Wisconsin, Deserts Heating Up

Tuesday brought some severe weather to portions of the northern tier of US states, including a tornado touchdown near the town of Clayton in east-central Wisconsin.

The event was short-lived but did cause damage to some homes along Grandview Road near Winchester.

Two homes were especially hard-hit, including one of a local firefighter. Can you imagine hearing the page for help and it is your own address?

Thankfully, there were no injuries.

In the northeast - there were dozens of reports of severe weather from upstate New York to the coast of Massachusettes.

The majority of the reports were high wind gusts in excess of 60 MPH - including a gust of 63 in Syracuse. A few locations saw hail in excess of 1 inch in diameter - including Ithica,  NY.

Here in Colorado - we had several reports of wind damage as strong downslope winds developed along the  Front Range.

Some locations along the foothills of Boulder and Jefferson Counties - including the towns of Boulder and Lyons - saw winds gust between 75 and 105 MPH. There were a handful of damage reports.

The strong winds fueled a wildfire in southern Jefferson County near the town of Conifer which prompted the evacuation of over 300 homes.

And things are finally heating up in the deserts of the southwest! Temperatures in both Phoenix and Las Vegas will climb into the 90s today.

It has been a cool start to the warm season. We usually see the daily highs in the 90s start sometime in early to mid April. And while there have been a few 90-degree days so far, nothing like normal.

The average high in Phoenix was only 82.5 degrees during the month of April - in Yuma it was 81.9 degrees. Normal for both cities is around 85 degrees.

Click here for much more on average temperatures in southern Arizona.

Impressive Middle Tennessee Rain Recap

The National Weather Service office in Nashville has made a contour map of the recent weekend deluge - using several data sources, including your CoCoRaHS reports.

You can see the whole region saw heavy rain - but there were a few bullseyes of the heaviest precip - such as over the greater Nashville area. And the largest totals came from Benton County, Tennessee - just west of Nashville - with 19 to 20 inches!

Below is the web link to see the full size image from the Nashville office of the National Weather Service.

Link to image above: Click here

CoCoRaHS Reveals Storm's Footprint Across Tennessee

Below is a map of Williamson County, Tennessee - it shows the 24 hour rainfall totals ending 7 am on May 2, 2010.

You can pull a map like this for any county, any state on the CoCoRaHS web site.

Much of middle Tennessee saw anywhere from 10 to 18 inches of rainfall in a 2-day span over the weekend, breaking all kinds of records and causing widespread flooding.

Williamson County is just south of the Nashville vicinity.

Another area hard-hit by heavy rain was the greater Memphis area, especially on the northside. If you take the Danny Thomas Blvd. (Hwy 51) north into Tipton County you drive through the city of Millington - where some levees were breached - causing widespread flooding across that area.

Thank goodness for the detail of CoCoRaHS - without it, the only reports we would have during heavy rain events like this one are the main first order weather stations from the area, such as Memphis and Nashville, and then any co-op stations in the area.

We certainly would not have as many reports per county as we have like in the example above.

It was a deadly weekend across the south, with lives not only taken from flood waters, but also from twisters. Arkansas was hard-hit 2 days in a row with over a dozen tornadoes reported - leaving several injured and at least 1 dead.

Mississippi saw another deadly twister for the second weekend in a row - this time a little north and east of Yazoo City.

More Deadly Tornadoes Possible

Friday brought a severe weather outbreak to the center of the nation - with tornadoes and severe thunderstorms reported from Wisconsin to Texas.

Hardest hit was the state of Arkansas with over a dozen reports of twisters.

Central Arkansas took the worst of it with at least one tornado proving to be deadly.

The storm prediction center has issued another high risk area for severe weather today - extending from central Arkansas into western Tennesseee and northern Mississippi.