Meteorologists are warning the Morehead area could experience heavy rain and flooding. A flood watch is in effect Friday, February 14, through Sunday, February 16, and the amount of rainfall is expected to range from three to seven inches.
Chuck Greif, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Jackson, said the storm is an unusual event.
“It's pretty rare that we are forecasting three days in advance how much rainfall and particular we're talking about four to five inches of rain across an entire area. It's kind of a rare event. This is probably one that happens maybe every three or four years, and because of that, it's something to take note of and realize that it could be more significant than some of the past flooding we've seen,” said Greif.
Officials said Triplett Creek, which runs alongside the city of Morehead, and other areas prone to flash flooding, are expected to be impacted first.
Greif added people living in flood-prone areas should consider staying elsewhere during the storms if possible.
“Hopefully people are now thinking about what they might do should they get that rainfall, and should they be in a situation where they might have to consider either hunkering down in their location or alternative means of getting either out of their location or getting back home to their location,” said Greif.
The NWS offers several ways of keeping people informed during weather emergencies. Important information is sent by smartphone notifications, and can be found online at weather.gov. In the event of a power outage, NOAA weather radios also provide relevant information, and may be purchased at many department stores.