Cooler air settles into Kentucky after morning rainfall pushes through

Dry and sunny conditions return Thursday before more showers arrive for Mother’s Day weekend

Morning Rain Brings Much-Needed Moisture

Central and Eastern Kentucky started the day on a wet and stormy note as widespread showers and thunderstorms pushed through the area during the overnight and early morning hours. Rainfall totals varied quite a bit across the region, with many communities picking up over a quarter inch of rain, while some areas saw totals approaching an inch and a half.

The rainfall was much-needed across the region as drought conditions continue to expand across Kentucky. The rainfall that we saw last night into this morning will not be included with the latest drought monitor that comes out tomorrow as the cutoff was on Tuesday, but hopefully by next Thursday, will see some improvement of our current drought conditions.

Clouds Stick Around Through the Afternoon

Most of the steady rainfall has now moved out of the area, but we’re still left with stubborn cloud cover across much of Central and Eastern Kentucky this afternoon. A few leftover showers are still possible, especially across southern and southeastern portions of the viewing area where the stalled boundary continues to linger.

Here in Lexington and across parts of northern Kentucky, we’ve even started to see a few brief breaks of sunshine trying to work through the clouds. However, skies are expected to stay mostly cloudy for much of the remainder of the day.

Temperatures are also running much cooler than normal for early May, with highs only reaching into the low to mid 60s, about 10 to 15 degrees below average for this time of year.

Drying Trend Arrives Tonight

As we head through tonight, conditions will continue to gradually dry out. Temperatures will drop back into the mid 40s overnight with mostly cloudy skies lingering through much of the night.

There is also the potential for some patchy fog development late tonight into early Thursday morning if skies clear out enough and winds remain light after today’s rainfall.

Sunshine Returns Thursday and Friday

Thursday is shaping up to be a beautiful spring day across the region. High pressure moving into the Ohio Valley will bring back sunshine and dry weather, with afternoon highs warming into the low to mid 60s.

Friday looks even warmer, with temperatures climbing back into the upper 60s and lower 70s under partly sunny skies. Overall, both Thursday and Friday are expected to be pleasant and quiet weather days.

More Showers Return for Mother’s Day Weekend

Unfortunately, the dry stretch won’t last through the entire weekend. Another disturbance is expected to move into the area Friday night into Saturday morning, bringing another round of scattered showers and possibly a rumble of thunder.

The good news is that much of Saturday afternoon looks drier once the morning rain moves out.

Mother’s Day itself is also expected to start mainly dry, but additional showers and thunderstorms could develop later Sunday afternoon and continue into Sunday night before finally clearing out by Monday morning.

Weekend temperatures will rebound nicely though, with highs warming back into the low to mid 70s.

ABC 36 Storm Team 36 Hour Forecast

Wednesday Night:
Mostly cloudy and cooler with lingering drizzle possible early. Overnight lows dropping into the mid 40s.

Thursday:
Mostly sunny and pleasant. Cooler than average with highs in the low to mid 60s.

Thursday Night:
Partly cloudy and chilly. Overnight lows falling back into the low to mid 40s.