Rough Flu Season Ahead

It's already bad in some places and it looks like it will get worse.

Health officials on Monday said suspected flu cases have jumped in five Southern states, and the primary strain circulating tends to make people sicker than other types. It is particularly hard on the elderly.

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Kentucky

The U.S. Geological Survey reported Saturday that an earthquake centred in Kentucky also rattled at least eight other states.

The USGS website said the epicenter of the 4.3 magnitude earthquake on Saturday afternoon was about 10 miles west of Whitesburg, near the Virginia line. Residents in both states, as well as West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Georgia, all the way to Atlanta also reported feeling the temblor.

National Weather Service spokesman Jeff Carico said employees at the office in Jackson, Kentucky, which is about 60 miles northwest of Whitesburg, felt the ground shake for about 15 seconds. He says the office has gotten numerous calls, but so far no one has reported any serious damage.

USGS geophysicist John Bellini said the quake is considered "light."

College Basketball Play of the Day for 3/23/12

In this day of Sweet 16 matchups, it has to be Kentucky

Kentucky heads into this game with Indiana, not only looking to avenge a loss to the Hoosiers earlier in the season, but to continue proving they are the best college team in America.

I'm seeing Kentucky favored by 9, but look for the Wildcats to eclipse that in the first half.

Here are two noteworthy trends:

Kentuck is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite, while Indiana is 5-13-1 ATS in their last 19 neutral site games.

Go with Kentucky for a big win tonight.

CNN Report Says Warmer Weather is Here to Stay

In a report by CNN today, the warmer than average temps that the country has been experiencing will be here for a while.

In a 90-day weather outlook released Thursday, forecasters predict the unseasonably warm temperatures that have blanketed parts of the United States will continue into the summer, and much of the country will remain dry.

"We expect above-normal temperatures in the South and Eastern United States," said Ed O'Lenic, chief of operations at the Climate Prediction Center for NOAA's National Weather Service.

Above-normal temperatures are also predicted for the Southwest across Texas and the Gulf Coast, as well as the Atlantic Coast, the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes region, according to NOAA. Temperatures in the Pacific Northwest and southern Alaska will be below normal.

The heat has been on early this spring and the mercury has already broken records across the country. Nationwide, 577 record temperatures were broken Wednesday, including 400 high temperatures, according to Laura Furgione, deputy director at the National Weather Service. The weather service forecasts warm weather to continue well into next week.

Storms Hit Midwest and South

Powerful storms spawned tornadoes that killed dozens as they ripped through the South and Midwest, flattening towns and turning churches into shelters.

At least 28 people were killed: 15 in Indiana, 12 in Kentucky and one in Ohio.

Rescue workers combed through rubble overnight for dozens believed missing after the storms struck Friday, according to state and local authorities.

In Tennessee, there were reports of possible tornado touchdowns in nine counties, according to Jeremy Heidt, the state's emergency management spokesman. At least 29 people were injured across the state, said Dean Flener, also with TEMA.

By early Saturday morning, as the storms moved through northern Georgia, a tornado was believed to have struck in north Georgia's Paulding County, damaging two elementary schools, a small local airport and an undetermined number of homes, said Ashley Henson, a sheriff's spokesman.

Damage at a Home Depot in East Cobb County, GA