A gorgeous start to May continues into the late week
Highs could climb into the upper 80s Thursday as we eye the rain and storm chances for Oaks Day Friday
It was a picture perfect start to May on Wednesday across Central and Eastern Kentucky with abundant sunshine and afternoon highs unseasonably warm in the upper 70s and low 80s yet again. You really couldn’t ask for a better start to the new month and the good news is we’ll see more of the same rolling into Thursday so it should be pretty ideal for “Thurby” over at Churchill Downs as the countdown to Derby Day continues.
With high pressure off to our east and a ridge of warmth building into the Ohio Valley we could actually see our warmest readings since last fall across Central and Eastern Kentucky Thursday. Right now forecast highs are expected to climb into the upper 80s and it hasn’t been that warm since the early to mid part of October last year. As always it takes your body a bit to acclimate to the warmer temperatures after the winter months so make sure and hydrate properly and find some shade if you have to be outside for any length of time.
There are no major changes relative to our rain and storm chances for Oaks Day and Derby Day as our next storm system rolls into the region on Friday. Expect off and on showers and storms for Oaks Day and you’ll definitely want to take the rain gear along and be prepared if you are heading to Churchill Downs. The track may come up wet for the big race late Friday afternoon with much of the data showing some decent moisture in the area. All week long we’ve talked about how tricky things look for Saturday and how we may have a “window” of drier weather but the data continues to jump back and forth with the potential outcome. As a result the chances for a few showers and storms remaining in play on Saturday are there for now as the next wave of energy moves in from the west. While it doesn’t appear to be a wash-out, some wet weather should be on tap from time to time. Afternoon highs both days should reach the mid to upper 70s.
Heading into the second half of the weekend including “Cinco De Mayo” on Sunday more scattered showers and storms will be possible as we shift into a very unsettled weather pattern that should last through much of next week. While no particular day will feature rain from start to finish, it does look pretty consistently wet on occasion each day as several wave of energy slide through the region. At least temperatures will be decent with afternoon highs topping out right around 80 degrees in most locations.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and pleasant. Lows in the upper-50s.
THURSDAY: More sunshine and very warm. Highs in the mid to upper-80s.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Mild with increasing clouds. Lows in the low-60s.
