A quiet start to the weekend before more active weather kicks in

Another round of strong storms followed by cold is on the horizon

1 hour ago

T.G. Shuck,

It was definitely one of those “hang onto your hat” days across Central and Eastern Kentucky on Friday as another round of strong and gusty winds impacted the area. The southwest winds gusted 40 to 50 miles per hour at times during the heart of the afternoon as a weak frontal boundary moved through the commonwealth. This front didn’t haven’t any moisture with it so we remained dry with mostly sunny skies so it was a decent finish to the week despite the wind. Afternoon highs did rebound a bit with most spots in the low to mid 60s for afternoon highs.

The frontal boundary will stall out just to our south as we kick off the weekend but given it’s a dry front to begin with and we’ll see weak high pressure to the north, it should be a very pleasant March Saturday. With more sunshine around and a slightly modified air mass north of the boundary, temperatures should still be above average as afternoon highs reach the low-60s here in the Bluegrass with mid to even upper 60s possible farther to the south. More importantly winds will be light so it should be a comfortable day for any outdoor activities you may have on your calendar.

Another significant storm system will be getting cranked up to our west during the day on Sunday but much of the daylight hours should remain dry and milder. A warm front will lift northward allowing strong southwest wind to re-enter the picture so look for another breezy to windy day. The breeze along with a mix of clouds and sunshine will help push afternoon highs into the low to mid-70s so if you can deal with the wind, it should be another nice day for any outdoor activities. A strong cold front will arrive by Sunday evening bringing another round of potential severe weather to the Ohio Valley.

The Storm Prediction Center has all of Central Kentucky in a Level 2 severe risk (out of 5) into Sunday night with a Level 3 risk out into Western Kentucky. Damaging winds look to be the primary threat along with an isolated spin-up tornado threat within what should be a strong line of thunderstorms moving west to east. One thing that should work to our advantage is the timing of the system with an overnight arrival cutting down on the instability and overall storm energy. This is one reason the threat ramps down the farther east you go and it could be a case of the line weakening as we get deeper into the night. Nevertheless, you’ll want to stay weather aware, especially with the event occurring at the end of a busy spring weekend when some folks may not be up to date on the latest weather so just keep that in mind.

The other part of this complex system will be the significant drop in temperatures behind the front, similar to what we had with the system that moved through a couple of days ago. After highs in the 70s, temperatures should drop 30 plus degrees over a 4 to 6 hour window into early Monday, landing into the early 30s by the time most folks are out the door Monday morning. It will be a cold and breezy start to next week with a few scattered snow showers possible as a northwest breeze helps hold temperatures into the mid-30s for highs on Monday. The colder air will settle in for a few days as morning lows drop into the upper teens Tuesday morning and temperatures only recover into the low-30s by St. Patrick’s Day afternoon. We should see better temperatures for the final few days of the winter season (spring officially arrives next Friday) with some of the data indicating a few clipper systems diving southeastward, which could bring some low end precipitation chances Wednesday and again on Friday but those shouldn’t amount to much at this point. Have a great weekend!