More rain and storms on the way Thursday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Happy Thursday! We are once again tracking the potential for rain and storms for the day today. Upwards of 2-4 inches of rain fell in southern and south-central Kentucky on Wednesday, and those areas are worth watching today. Rounds of showers and storms are on the way Thursday, with a few strong-to-severe storms possible during the afternoon and early evening. There is a Level 1 Severe Risk out for all of the ABC 36 viewing area on Thursday with isolated damaging wind gusts and large hail possible. There is also the risk of localized flash flooding risk, particularly for areas that experienced heavy rainfall yesterday.

Showers and storms will be likely early this morning before becoming more isolated during the overnight hours. On Friday, there is once again another Level 1 Severe Risk out for the entire viewing area. Damaging winds gusts and isolated large hail will be the primary threats. Friday will likely feature more dry time that Thursday, especially early in the day. Storm chances will ramp up though during the afternoon and evening hours.

Saturday is expected to be the driest day of your Memorial Day weekend. There will still be isolated-to-widely scattered showers and thunderstorms but the rain won’t be lasting all day. Temperatures should warm-up because of this, climbing into the mid-80s for a lot of areas.

Rain and strong storm chances ramp up once again on Sunday. There is already a severe threat out for most of Kentucky for Sunday, we saw this issued back on Tuesday. A rare 30% severe risk was added in the Wednesday morning update for western Kentucky as well. This 30% risk was expanded eastward to now include the Louisville metro just to our west.

All “modes” or types of severe weather are possible. This includes damaging wind gusts, large hail, and even the risk of a few tornadoes. On top of the severe weather threat, there will be a flash flooding risk as well. Sunday into Sunday night is definitely a time you will need to stay “Weather Aware”, especially if you are traveling to an area with a higher risk over the weekend. Review your severe weather plan and make sure you have a sturdy and well-manufactured building to quickly get to if severe weather is heading your way. There is still uncertainty around the exact timing and coverage area of these storms, so make sure you are staying with the ABC 36 Storm Team for more updates as we get closer to Sunday.

Lingering showers and storms are possible on Monday as cold front will be sweeping through the region. The exact timing of this front is still up the air, though the consensus is that the front will exit during the midday leaving us with lingering scattered showers for the afternoon and evening.

After an active rest of the week and Memorial Day weekend, we are expected to enter a seasonably drier and cooler than normal stretch of weather as we end the month and start June. The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook highlights the most of the region for seasonably cooler and drier than normal conditions during this timeframe. We will take a break from the active weather!

Stay with the ABC 36 Storm Team for more updates.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
THURSDAY: Rounds of rain and storms likely, a few strong-to-severe storms will be possible. Highs in the upper 70s.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Showers and storms early, drying out late. Lows in the 60s.
FRIDAY: Scattered PM showers and storms. Highs in the upper 70s and low 80s.