A quick shot of wintry weather for parts of the area into Tuesday

After a cold finish to November and the long holiday weekend on Sunday, we saw more of the same to begin December on Monday with unseasonably chilly air in place over the Ohio Valley. Temperatures started the day in the upper 20s and only managed to recover into the upper 30s and low 40s with a mix of clouds and sunshine across the area. Conditions were quiet throughout the day ahead of a quick shot of wintry weather that is expected to impact parts of the commonwealth into Tuesday morning.

With a main surface low to our south and some mid-level energy cruising in from the west, Central and Eastern Kentucky will be front and center for a wintry mess into the early hours of Tuesday. As usual location is going to be key with precipitation type and that impacts that has, with just a few miles making a difference in what falls. Based on the latest data, the Bluegrass Region and areas along and a bit south of I-64 have the best chance of picking up some accumulating snow, mainly in the 1″-3″ range with some localized spots seeing 4″ or more especially up north. There will be the element of a  wintry mix with some sleet and freezing rain expected as the activity begins as rain then transitions to a mix before going over to all snow in the above mentioned area. How quickly this process happens will be a big determining factor in how much snow falls and where the “sweet spot” is.

Warmer air nosing in should keep things mainly a chilly rain for far Southeastern Kentucky (and contribute to the wintry mix farther north) so location will be key relative to overall winter weather conditions. Given the timing with most of the moisture in play and precipitation falling overnight and into the Tuesday morning commute, a Winter Weather Advisory is out for a good swath of Central and South Central Kentucky from 9pm Monday evening until 10am Tuesday morning. Look for slick roadways and negative travel impacts for the morning commute in those areas that receive wintry weather and allow plenty of extra time to get where you need to go. We should dry out quickly Tuesday with a steady northwest wind keeping afternoon highs hovering into the low-30s.

The mid to late week looks unseasonably cold and mostly dry, even with a secondary frontal boundary moving through Wednesday night and into Thursday. There won’t be any moisture associated with it so look for a few clouds and a reinforcing shot of colder air as afternoon highs back down into the mid-30s Thursday after only reaching the upper 30s on Wednesday. Heading toward the weekend, it’s another scenario of low pressure to our south and a mid-level wave coming in from the west, but this system isn’t as strong as the one we are facing into Tuesday and most of the moisture may remain south initially. The data isn’t synced up all that well with the timing of disturbances moving in over the weekend and the temperature profiles are right on the line so we’ll have to keep an eye on those but overall afternoon highs should remain below average.