A nice start to Father’s Day weekend as the heat looms

It was a warm and humid finish to the week here in Central and Eastern Kentucky Friday which was a far cry from the mild air and low humidity levels we enjoyed earlier this week. With a weakening frontal system sliding through the commonwealth we saw a mix of clouds and sunshine, a few isolated storms and afternoon highs back into the upper 80s. The good news is that the front should sweep a lot of the humidity out at least temporarily so our weather is looking good heading into Father’s Day weekend.

In the wake of the departing cold front much drier air will filter into the region on Saturday so dew-points and humidity levels should be much lower, which will increase the comfort level across the board. Throw in some sunshine and afternoon highs in the mid-80s, which is right around average for mid-June and it should be a great day for any outdoor activities as we celebrate Dads this weekend.

The big ridge of warmth/heat that’s been in the Central Plains will finally build eastward on Sunday so it will be noticeably hotter for Father’s Day with highs jumping back into the low 90s. This should be our hottest day since early last October and even though the humidity won’t be off the charts, it takes the body a bit to get acclimated as the heat returns into the summer months so keep that in mind. Afternoon highs should be in the low-90s Sunday with plenty of sunshine.

By Monday we’ll start to see a bit of a return flow on the backside of the ridge as it settles along the east coast and sets up shop for much of the week. This will drive in muggy air to go along with the heat so the heat indices will come into play. Afternoon highs will continue to climb into the mid-90s and then factor in the humidity and the heat index could dance around the 100 degree mark of high. This will be the hottest stretch of weather we’ve seen since last Labor Day weekend so below are some safety tips for dealing with the heat.

Into the middle part of next week we would down the spring season officially but it’s going to feel more like the heart of summer. It will definitely be a hot one for the Juneteenth holiday on Wednesday and a very fitting arrival of summer with the summer solstice occurring at 4:50pm Thursday afternoon given that afternoon highs will be in the mid-90s. The data is showing that we may not see as much muggy air later next week so our isolated storm chances are just that…very isolated as the heat ridge essentially suppresses much of the storm potential. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there and stay safe as the heat builds in.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
FRIDAY NIGHT: Clearing skies and pleasant. Lows in the low-60s.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny and nice. Highs in the mid-80s.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and comfortable. Lows in the low-60s.