FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — As Hurricane Ida breaks apart, the farther it moves north and loses its fuel source, it can still dump a lot of rain as is expected and create a lot of problems for central Kentucky’s low lying areas.
“The forecast is a little more positive today than it was yesterday,” said Michael Dossett who runs Kentucky’s Emergency Management center in Frankfort.
Dossett said we’re now likely to receive one inch of rain every hour while the storm is overhead, rather than the two inches originally in the forecast.
“That’s still problematic. We could still see a significant impact,” he explained, while adding that there are promising reports concerning the area’s river levels as the storm arrives.
“The Ohio will certainly rise a small amount but not expected to go into flooding condition, nor are our tributaries. The main concern is flash flooding, as always,” Dossett said.
From Carlisle to Beattyville and on into Jackson, Kentucky has had no shortage of catastrophic flash flooding this year, so everyone in those areas is on high-alert anytime a large amount of rain is expected. The advance warning we got from this storm certainly gives us an advantage.
“Now is a great time to have a family meeting and decide, okay, how much water do we have? And do we have anything we can use to feed us in the next 24 hours?” Dossett said of the importance of having a severe weather plan of action.
He also stressed the importance of checking on neighbors, especially those you know who might need some assistance if they are older, or disabled in any way.
Most of all, and you’ve heard and read this a million times; do not attempt to drive or walk through high water on a road. It can wash you away within seconds and the result is often times fatal.
But there is good news as we sit under what remains of Ida’s wrath: Meteorological fall arrives at midnight, and it is expected to arrive on time! The LEX 18 Storm Tracker team is calling for cooler temperatures and clear skies for the next several days as we begin the month of September.
Those conditions should help mitigate whatever issues we do encounter before the storm heads away from Kentucky.
