Fay Flaunts for Our Region

Steady soaking rains are arriving on schedule this Tuesday afternoon from south to north. So evening soccer games from Sam Hood field in Huntington to Lefty Hamilton field in Williamson will see headers and corner kicks get rather sloppy.

Once the rains arrive, they will continue occasionally in heavy downpour fashion through Wednesday. Add it all up and our region should get a general soaking of one to three inches by dusk Wednesday. Local street flooding is assured as storm culverts back up while your lawn and garden say Gulp, Gulp, Gulp.

These rains are courtesy of the remains of former Tropical Storm Fay which dumped prodigious amounts of water in Florida and parts of Dixie. Some communities measured more than 30 inches of rain last week down there!

The possibility of flooding is naturally muted by the current long dry spell, as it has been 3 weeks since we saw a good downpour. But since one of our in-house computer models suggests 4 or 5 inches of rain could fall in a few spots, we can’t totally rule out some stream flooding.

Odds favor a dry spell breaking rain that is more nuisance than headline making but we will stay vigilant just in case. Motorists should beware of slick roads this evening as the initial rains move in.

By the way, Wednesday’s blog title will be ‘Sibling Rivalry’ as we turn our attention to Hurricane Gustav, Fay’s meaner and stronger brother. I topped off my tank at $3.69 per gallon at noon based on Gustav’s projected entry into the Gulf by the Labor Day weekend, since gas may easily be more than $4 per gallon next week. Hit me on Wednesday for an update!