A quick shot of Arctic air Friday before temperatures moderate into the weekend
Despite some afternoon sunshine Friday, temperatures will struggle into the upper 20s then a quick warm-up kicks in.
It was a cloudy and cold Groundhog Day across Central and Eastern Kentucky so there were no “shadows” to been seen for any Kentucky groundhogs, but the “official”call from Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania was for 6 more weeks of winter as the shadow was seen. Temperatures were definitely winter-like with highs in the mid-30s and a few spots still had some leftover ice on the ground from active winter weather earlier this week.
An Arctic cold front will slide through the commonwealth into early Friday bringing a re-enforcing shot of cold air into the region. While cold sunshine is expected Friday afternoon to wrap up the week, the fly in the ointment is the northwest flow behind the front, which may bring a fetch of moisture off of Lake Michigan down into the heart of the Bluegrass. This could create a few scattered flurries in spots during the morning hours before the sunshine wins out. Even with full sun expected, afternoon highs should struggle to reach the upper 20s for highs. The other issue will be wind chills in the single digits and low teens Friday morning so keep that in mind.
Of course we’ve been on a roller coaster ride of temperatures so far here in 2023 and that trend is going to continue in the coming days. In fact the weekend looks pretty good for early February as a warm front arcs through the area, helping boost temperatures through the 40s and into the low 50s. It will be breezy with winds out of the southwest helping to push the milder air into the region but that’s a good trade-off under the circumstances.
The unseasonably mild air will stick around heading into next week with yet another stretch of temperatures flirting with the 60 degree mark. We had 7 days in January here in Lexington where afternoon highs topped the 60 degree mark and we should take on a few more to the list this winter next Tuesday through Thursday. Of course when we see mild readings in February that is typically accompanied by some rain chances. It appears you’ll need the umbrella into the middle of next week as some rain moves in.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Breezy and cold, a few flakes late. Lows in the low-20s.
FRIDAY: A.M. flurries, then mostly sunny and cold. Highs in the upper-20s.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Clear skies and cold. Lows in the upper teens.
