An Open Letter of Thanks to Our Kentucky and Indiana Meteorologists

This week, I've been recalling a major winter storm from my childhood that came almost exactly one year after ANOTHER winter storm. Both dumped extraordinary amounts of snow on the tri-state area.

SEVERE WEATHER

Back then, there wasn't continuous simultaneous coverage like we have today, and even at that, I'm not sure what we got in 1977 and 1978 rose to the level of severity that we associate with that kind of coverage we see from our local meteorologists. In fact, wall-to-wall broadcasting only comes into play when there's a tornado warning.

But that's what brings me here right now.

THE DECEMBER 10TH TORNADO

It's been just over a month and a half since two devastating long-track tornados ripped through western Kentucky--the one that almost completely destroyed Mayfield, Dawson Springs, and Bremen and the twister that plowed through Bowling Green--leaving unimaginable destruction and loss of life in their wakes. And I am here to offer thanks. Am I a bit late? Absolutely, but better late than never. And I'll tell you why I'm reminded now to do that which I should have done a month ago.

AN AMAZING STORY OUT OF BREMEN

I was chatting with Eyewitness News Chief Meteorologist Wayne Hart Wednesday afternoon, and he told me he'd been down to Bremen. While there, he visited a family who survived the tornado inside a homemade above-ground shelter that was 18 years old. And that must be some shelter as there were 14 people who rode out the storm inside of it. Plus, they were keeping track of the storm by listening to Wayne Hart's continuous coverage of the tornado outbreak on WBKR.

KENTUCKY AND INDIANA METEOROLOGISTS

So yes, thanks are long overdue to the meteorologists at our ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates in Evansville for breaking in and staying with these storms and keeping us updated.

But I also send out thanks to those in Paducah, Bowling Green, and any other market with affiliated stations that have the same capability and were also under the gun that Friday evening and well into the early morning hours of Saturday.

Thank you for your dedication and your attention to detail. While too many lives were lost as the December 10th twister tore across the Commonwealth and stayed on the ground for what the National Weather Service has confirmed was 165.7 miles, many more were spared as a result of local meteorologists' diligence and expertise.