Feeling a bit more like August as the week progresses

It was another splendid day across Central and Eastern Kentucky Tuesday, once the mid-level wave that brought a few sprinkles to the area around daybreak departed to the east. Of course the clouds held early morning lows up a bit with most spots in the low 60s but with sunshine returning into the afternoon along with the dry air in place at the surface, it felt great to be out and about as temperatures rose into the low to mid-80s for highs with humidity levels stay in the comfortable range.

While the process should be a slow one, we’ll start to see some warmer temperatures and more importantly higher humidity levels as we progress through the rest of the week. High pressure will be hanging on another day so we should be in store for another quiet day of weather on Wednesday which is great news considering a number of school systems including Fayette County are back in session after the summer break. Afternoon highs should climb back into the mid to upper 80s (right around average for mid-August) with humidity levels still in the somewhat comfortable range so it should be a decent day all the way around.

More significant changes are ahead rolling into the late week as the moisture returns from the Gulf of Mexico thanks to the return flow out of the south. You can really see the “muggy-cast” jump a good bit into Thursday and Friday so you’ll feel the difference especially as temperatures climb into the upper 80s to around 90 degrees for highs. A storm system will be approaching from the west so our chances for scattered rain and storms will pick up late Thursday with the best chances coming as we wrap up the day on Friday. We could see use some additional rain, even though we have managed to chip away at the overly dry conditions we’ve seen most of the summer. A few showers could linger into the weekend, especially on Saturday but it should be a washout and temperatures look decent with highs in the mid-80s.

Speaking of temperatures, a lot of the extended forecast data as we head toward the end of the month shows our area in a below average temperature pattern toward the end of next week. With our average highs at that point about 86 degrees, this would put us in the low 80s range for daily highs at the very least which would feel pretty great for the end of August. Obviously that’s a trend we’ll have to watch as we draw closer to that time period.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
TUESDAY NIGHT: A few clouds and pleasant. Lows in the low-60s.
WEDNESDAY:  Mostly sunny, a touch warmer. Highs in the mid to upper-80s.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Fair skies and quiet. Lows in the mid-60s.