The quiet and comfortable weather pattern is about to come to an end
After several really nice days across the area, the humdity will return late week as storm chances increase
It was another dandy day of weather on Wednesday across Central and Eastern Kentucky as high pressure continued to be anchored just to our east. With a good bit of sunshine around, afternoon highs reached the mid and upper 80s but of course the very dry air at the surface kept humidity levels down and the comfort factor up. This was perfect timing with Fayette County Schools along with a number of other school systems returning to classes after the summer break. It is August after all so you know these longer stretches of nice weather don’t last forever and we’ll begin to transition a bit into the late week.
As the area of high pressure slides off to the east on Thursday, a return flow will bring back moisture from the south and increase our humidity levels in the process. While it shouldn’t be overly muggy, it will be enough of a change to notice the difference. A warm front will be laying off to our west and that could help trigger a few late afternoon and early evening isolated storms but most locations may end up being dry. With a mix of clouds and sunshine, afternoon highs should run back into the upper 80s with a few low 90s here in the Bluegrass. Our “muggy-cast really shows a big jump in humidity to end the week on Friday, which will mean our best chance of organized rain and storms in awhile.
With an area of low pressure sliding through the Great Lakes on Friday, a trailing cold front should be the driving force behind more widespread rain and storm chances to close out the week. You’ll want to take the rain gear along with off and on showers and storms as afternoon highs reach the upper 80s. While the storm chances will lessen into the weekend they won’t go away completely as a weak boundary on the backside of the departing low keeps some isolated storms in play. This shouldn’t create a wash-out so don’t cancel any outdoor plans considering the low end chances that will carry over into Sunday.
Overall rainfall totals will vary as usual with most spots picking up anywhere between .50″ and 1 inch totals, which we will take given that we haven’t see a complete alleviation of the dry conditions that have plagued the area throughout the summer. We should get back into a dry and somewhat comfortable pattern into the mid part of next week as temperatures stay mainly into the mid-80s for afternoon highs.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and quiet. Lows in the mid-60s.
THURSDAY: Hot with a few late storms. Highs in the upper-80s and low-90s.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Warm and muggy with scattered storms. Lows in the upper-60s to around 70 degrees.
