Heat Advisories are in effect across central and eastern Kentucky for the next few afternoons.
An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for northern Kentucky, as well as areas from Henry, Shelby, Spencer and Nelson Counties westward.
The stifling, near-record heat will continue for a few more days before a cold front brings a very welcome cooldown early next week. Today will bring record heat once again, with a high of 99° in Lexington, beating the old record of 96° from 1948 and 1988. Many areas will stay dry today, but isolated thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon and early evening, and some of the storms could become severe with potential for damaging wind and large hail. We'll remain in the middle 70s for lows over the next few nights, and highs will continue to reach the upper 90s through Saturday. Over the next few days, the heat index will climb to 100° - 105°, with even slightly higher values just to our west. A more widespread batch of thunderstorms will accompany a strong cold front on Sunday and Monday, dropping temperatures back into the middle 80s for the early and middle part of next week. Most of the area will be dry on Tuesday, aside from some spotty southern Kentucky thunderstorms. Scattered storms may slide farther north with a new area of low pressure at the middle of next week, although there remain many questions about the track of that system.
