A wet finish to January on tap for Central and Eastern Kentucky

We’ve enjoyed a delightful week of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky especially considering all the snow and cold we’ve dealt with much of January. After a chilly start to Thursday, a south wind kicked in as our next storm system approached from the west driving afternoon highs into the low to mid-50s. Rain showers developed and moved in from the southwest late in the afternoon and the wet weather will be a prelude of things to come into Friday.

The final morning of January looks to be damp and dreary with moderate to heavy rain possible early Friday as a wave of low pressure spins through the Ohio Valley. By the time the steady rain winds down after daybreak, most locations should end up with a solid 1′-2″ rainfall with higher amounts possible to our west. We aren’t expecting any flooding other than the typical nuisance high water issues in some of the typical spots. A dry slot of air will work in for a period of time Friday and we should even see a few peeks of sunshine. Winds will be gusty out of the southwest helping to drive afternoon highs into the low 60s! As some upper level energy rotates through the commonwealth, scattered showers and even a few rumbles of thunder are possible late Friday.

It looks to be a quiet start to February across the region with drier air slowly working in as we kick off the weekend. After some clouds Saturday morning sunshine should return into the afternoon highs with a bit of a cool down expected as a dry cold front moves through during the early hours of the day. This should help back temperatures off a few degrees into the upper 40s for highs but luckily the cooler air won’t stick around long. Groundhog Day looks delightful at this point with sunshine and afternoon highs surging back into the low 60s! This will be the nicest day we’ve seen in over a month so you’ll want to get out and enjoy the spring-like feel as we close out the weekend.

Heading into next week more quiet weather is in store initially with partly sunny skies and highs remaining in the low 60s Monday. Another weak frontal boundary should move through the Ohio Valley late in the day, which will usher in some slightly cooler but still very pleasant air for Tuesday. Expect afternoon highs Tuesday in the low to mid-50s, which is still above average for early February. The aforementioned boundary will stall just to our south and with a wave of energy riding along it, a few scattered showers may return to the area into the middle of next week with temperatures remaining on the pleasant side.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
THURSDAY NIGHT: Breezy with rain, heavy at times. Lows in the mid to upper-40s.
FRIDAY: Windy and mild, scattered showers. Highs in the low-60s.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy and cooler. Lows in the mid to upper-30s.