Spring-like storms give way to a touch of winter to close out the week

It turned out to be an active and interesting start to Thursday, especially across Central Kentucky as a squall line of severe thunderstorms produced a few brief spin-up tornadoes in the process. At least 3 tornadoes have been confirmed as of this writing, including two EF-1 tornadoes. The first one west of Harrodsburg had winds of around 100 miles per hour and damaged several well constructed homes, while the second EF-1 was in Danville in Boyle County with winds reaching 90 miles per hour. The velocity signature on Max HD Radar was indicating some strong rotation right in the area where the EF-1 tornado was confirmed. Note the arrows going opposite directions in tight quarters showing the rotation signature.

Arlington Golf Course near downtown Richmond in Madison County suffered heavy tree damage with several very large and mature trees being toppled by the storm. This is a classic example to always be prepared for severe weather year round, and heed all Tornado Warnings, even when they overall threat is low.

The focus now shifts to a touch of wintry weather as the main surface low spins eastward, allowing colder air to filter in for the end of the week on Friday. With some moisture wrapping around the backside of the system and temperatures falling toward the freezing mark, a few rain showers will turn to show showers into Friday morning. There is the chance that a heavier burst of snow may reduce visibilities briefly and possibly dust the ground, but the combination of a fairly warm ground, temperatures in the mid-30s and some of the suns radiation still making it through the clouds during the daylight hours should keep road conditions in good shape.

As temperatures get colder into Friday night and the fetch of moisture streams off of the Great Lakes, the snow showers should continue with the best chance of seeing some accumulations being in the higher elevations of Southeastern Kentucky. In fact a Winter Weather Advisory is out for Pike, Letcher, Harlan and Bell Counties from 4am Friday to 6am Saturday. Those areas at or above 1500 feet elevation may see a couple of inches of snow. A few slick roadways and some minor accumulations will still be possible area-wide in the colder air Friday night with lows in the mid-20s.

After a dry and cool weekend across the area, we’ll jump back into a mild and unsettled pattern into next week. Expect rain showers to return late on the MLK Holiday and continue into Tuesday with highs back in the mid-50s. You’ll have additional days to enjoy some spring-like air in mid-January as highs surge back into the low 60s ahead of another rain-maker late next week.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Breezy and colder, rain to snow showers. Lows in the low-30s.
FRIDAY: Breezy and cold with snow showers. Highs in the mid-30s.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy and breezy, scattered flurries. Lows in the mid-20s.