Arctic cold settles in for the weekend following more accumulating snow
Temperatures and wind chills will take a big tumble into Saturday morning
Once again it turned into a winter wonderland across Central and Eastern Kentucky with two waves of energy adding more accumulating snow to the area Thursday night and into Friday. Most locations picked up a solid 2″-4″ with a few locations more in the 3″-5″ range. With temperatures in the 20s this time, it was a heavier and wetter snow with big fluffy flakes making for a scenic picture across the area.
The big story into the weekend will be another shot of Arctic air which will roll into the Ohio Valley by Saturday morning. Temperatures will take a tumble into the lower single digits and with a west wind at around 10 to 15 miles per hour, wind chill values will drop into the -10 to -15 degree range early Saturday. You’ll definitely want to dress in layers, cover any exposed skin, and minimize your time outdoors. Any snow showers/flurries will diminish early Saturday with afternoon highs struggling back into the mid to upper teens. Wind chills should bump up into the single digits during the daylight hours but head the other way after sunset.
With an optimal set-up for radiational cooling as the snow pack will be in place, skies will be clear and winds will be lighter, Sunday morning should be our coldest with many spots across the area dropping BELOW ZERO for actual low temperatures! Even with light winds, it won’t take much to knock wind chill values down into the -10 degree range so the Wind Chill Advisory out for all of Central and Eastern Kentucky will last through Sunday morning at 10am.
We are set-up for a major pattern shift into next week and significantly milder air returns to the area. By Tuesday, afternoon highs should be back into the upper 40s and continue to climb through the 50s into the mid and late week. At the same time, several waves of energy will slide in from the southwest bringing multiple rounds of rainfall as a result. One thing we’ll have to watch out for is the potential of some flooding/high water issues. Between the snowmelt and the additional rain that may be on the way, some issues could be realized so we’ll keep an eye on it.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy and much colder, wind chills from -10 to -15. Lows from 0 to 5 above.
SATURDAY: Partly Sunny, still very cold. Highs in the mid to upper teens.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and bitterly cold. Lows from 0 to 5 below.
