NEWS RELEASE
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is advising motorists to be prepared for hazardous driving conditions over the next several days in anticipation of heavy rain tonight through next Wednesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the region. Rainfall amounts are expected to be from 2 to 6 inches over much of Western Kentucky with totals running in the 4 to 8 inch range in counties along the Missippippi River and Ohio River.
The NWS Paducah Office indicates there is a possibility for flash flooding to damage roadways and cause washouts above and beyond what we have experienced during record rainfall during June and July. Motorists should be alert for debris washed onto roadways and of ponding water on driving surfaces. Special caution is required in flood prone areas.
Remember, Turn Around, Don’t Drown. As little as 6 inches of running water was sweep you off your feet and a foot of running water can push a vehicle off the roadway. Do not use your cruise control when it is raining.
If you are traveling to the north and west into Missour, Illinois, and Indiana, please be aware those states have the potential for up to 10 inches of rain over the next 5 or 6 days.
Please monitor news media outlets and the NWS for updates and for localized warnings as this event develops. Isolated pockets of intense rainfall are posssible withing this system.
The potential for heaviest rainfall is expected Sunday afternoon into Monday morning. A huge Low over Texas is pushing massive amounts of moisture up into the Mississippi-Ohio Valley where it will collide with a cold front that is expected to stall out and hang over us through Wednesday of next week.