WNKY Weather Reports: Fall Severe Weather

What To Know About Kentucky's Second Severe Weather Season

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-The leaves are changing and the winds are blowing as we roll into fall. In the springtime, we get numerous storms with severe weather hazards. But did you also know that there’s an uptick in severe weather during the fall?

Severe weather can happen any time of the year. The transition from scorching summer months to cooler fall weather days could challenge our skies.

Strong winds, heavy rain, tornadoes and damaging hill are threats that wrap up with a dynamic clash between warm and cold air masses.

“For any severe weather pattern, we typically look for where the areas of the sort of the vertical arrangement of warm air below cold air aloft. And during this transition season we have that remnant warm air mass from the summer that lingers in addition to the transition to the colder air masses that are coming across and overhead and that re stages the environment for severe weather pattern. And no different than what we see occurring in the springtime. We see that resurgence during the transition season here in the fall.”  Said Dr. Josh Durkee, professor and University Meteorologist at WKU. 

Historically, storm systems in October and November have caused widespread power outages and wind damage across the state. However, recently we’re starting to see a resurgence of intense severe weather events lasting into December,

So it’s not terribly uncommon. But one thing to be mindful of is just sort of how long and how strong those severe weather signals come up. But just because it’s not spring, it does not mean that severe weather is taking a time out.