Weekend Events and Weather

A busy next to last weekend of spring is on tap across the region with outdoor events galore. Now while the weather won’t cooperate all the time, there should be enough dry hours to make festival goers reasonably happy.

The caveat of course is that if one of those tropical downpours that I am predicting washes out your game/pool party/picnic/carnival, you will be decidedly unhappy!

Let’s start off with what we know. The air will be turning dirtier (hazier) and closer (stickier) this weekend as moist tropical air invades from the Caribbean by way of the Gulf and the Southern Appalachians.

That means overnight lows will struggle to fall below 70 as the high humidity air sponsors near steam bath conditions. That high octane atmosphere will be primed for shower and thunderstorm formation most any place, any time. Still, the actual amount of rain time will be relatively short lived (1-3 hours on both days).

As to when and where the rain and squalls will occur, if only I knew! You and I will just have to monitor conditions hour by hour, especially 3D Doppler radar.

Here’s a neat interactive link to the 3D Doppler we use on the air here at Newschannel 3. Try it you’ll like!

http://www.wsaz.com/interactiveradar

As for the risk of severe weather, I expect some torrential downpours to cross the region on Saturday. Local street and viaduct flooding would likely occur with the heavier downpours. In a tropical air mass, lightning strikes will be more active than normal. So power flickers are a good bet. My advice, protect those PCs and stereos from power surges.

Event-wise, the lunch bunch brown bagging it on the Judd Plaza in Ashland will find the going hazy and hot at noon Friday. Temperature near 85!

By evening our attention will turn to Live on the Levee in Charleston where the new Haddad Riverfront canopy and ampitheatre will host a big crowd for this popular summer extravaganza. The weather will be warm and humid with a gorgeous sunset thru the summer haze.

Meanwhile a Relay for Life in the battle against cancer is slated for Bob Amos Park in Pikeville starting at 6 PM. Since the event goes well into the night, my gut says a thundershower will be close by to the park at some point late Friday night-early Saturday morning.

At daybreak Saturday, the action gets underway early as my friends from the East Greenup Kiwanis are sponsoring their 33^rd annual Run by the River. 5 & 10 K runs are planned thru Russell and along the mighty Ohio. Registration starts at 7 and the races, weather permitting, go at 8:30.

Kiwanian Tim Gearheart tells me it has only rained once in the race’s history (which I found an incredible stat).

My advice for runners, drink plenty of water and keep an eye to the sky.

In Matewan and Williamson, the Hatfield-McCoy half and full marathons are slated for 7 AM. The race begins in Goody Kentucky and crosses back and forth over the Tug Fork into WV and Kentucky 5 times. Blackberry Mountain presents a BIG test for marathoners and is akin to an early Heartbreak Hill (the Boston Marathon hill).

The race is part of the day long Hatfield-McCoy Festival which includes concerts galore and street fairs in both towns. A “Tug of War” for descendants of the two storied families is a must see attraction on Saturday afternoon. Afternoon highs will feel every bit of 90 but cloud cover and showers will hold thermometer readings in the 85-88 range.

Watch out for those street flooding downpours by late afternoon and evening on Saturday.

Word reaches me that the Pumpkin Festival people are involved in a Summerfest of fun and entertainment in Milton on Friday and Saturday. A fast night of Motocross is slated for the dirt pit area on Friday eve with music on the main stage. My friend Don M. tells me the carnival rides will blow the kids away!

To recap, hot and humid with a few storms crossing the region on Saturday and Sunday, but many dry hours on both days.

Enjoy the weekend as I will be fishing for walleye on Lake Erie (my story will run next Friday).