A few scattered storms possible to kick off the weekend

 

It was a pleasant finish to the week across Central and Eastern Kentucky with a southwest breeze helping to push milder air back into the area Friday. Even with some scattered clouds mixed in with the sunshine thanks to a mid-level wave passing by to our north, we did manage to see temperatures recover nicely compared to Thursday. Afternoon highs reached the low to mid-70s in most locations and that upward trend will continue as summer-like air is set to return.

With a warm front sliding in from the southwest, our rain and storm chances will pick up as we kick off the weekend. Of course the timing of the storm chances could be better with it being a mid-May weekend and plenty of outdoor activities going on, but it shouldn’t be a total washout and we could use the rain given the on-going drought. There is a low end strong storm chance across the northern half of the state as the Storm Prediction Center has that part of the state in a Level 1 severe risk with damaging winds being the primary threat. It will be a warmer Saturday despite some clouds and rain around with afternoon highs back into the low-80s, which is slightly above average for this time of the year.

The much advertised summer warm-up will kick in on Sunday as a ridge of high pressure to our southeast strengthens, allowing a bit of heat to build into the commonwealth. With mostly sunny skies on tap and a south breeze, afternoon highs will surge into the upper 80s to around 90 degrees, which will be the hottest air we’ve seen so far in 2026. These readings will be just a few degrees shy of daily record highs and with this being our warmest day since last fall you’ll want to slow it down during the hottest part of the day as it takes the body a bit to get acclimated to the heat coming out of the winter and early spring. Look for more of the same on Monday with mainly dry conditions and afternoon highs running into the upper 80s with a few spots touching the 90 degree mark.

A slow moving frontal system will creep into the Ohio Valley heading into the middle part of next week, bringing additional rain and storm chances. It should be another warm to hot Tuesday with highs in the upper 80s as the potential for a few scattered storms picks up a bit as we get deeper into the afternoon. Our best chance for beneficial rain will come on Wednesday as the front works through with more widespread rain and storms. This will drop temperatures back a bit but it will still be warm with afternoon highs in the low 80s. The front will drop south of the commonwealth into late next week with lingering showers on Thursday before we dry out once again. Afternoon highs will be closer to average with temperatures topping out into the upper 70s to around 80 degrees.