A Synoptic Perspective of the Record 1-2 May 2010 Mid-South Heavy Precipitation Event

摘要

D uring 1–2 May 2010, a series of strong thunderstorms led to 41, 57, and 43 tornado, severe wind, and severe hail reports, respectively, across portions of the southern United States. In addition to severe weather, these storms also distributed recordsetting rainfall amounts across the mid-South region, which contributed to historic flooding across portions of central and western Kentucky and Tennessee (Fig. 1). This heavy precipitation event was sampled by multiple surface observational networks, including (but not limited to) 48 research-grade automated stations from the Kentucky Mesonet (www.kymesonet .org), first-order automated stations from the National Weather Service (NWS; www.ncdc.noaa.gov /oacdc.html), and Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network Stations (CoCoRaHS), some of which recorded more than 350 mm of rain during the two-day period across portions of the region (Fig. 2).