Beneficial rain gives way to dry conditions mid-week

As expected it was a damp and dreary Wednesday across Central and Eastern Kentucky as a wave of low pressure along with a cold front brought multiple rounds of rain and a few storms to the area. Some of the activity was on the moderate to heavy side, creating some minor flooding issues despite the recent drought conditions we’ve seen. While most of Central Kentucky saw a good 1″-2″ soaking rainfall, several locations along the I-64 corridor (including Lexington) were more in the 3″ to 4″ range! In fact Lexington saw it’s wettest October day on record with nearly 5 inches of rain! Naturally this created some street flooding and high water issues with a number of brief road closures. On the plus side, the heavier rain will go a long way to alleviating the dry conditions we’ve seen through late summer and now into early fall.

Heading into Wednesday, the frontal boundary should be making its way to our southeast, taking the rain chances and clouds along with it. Southeastern Kentucky could see some lingering cloudiness/showers during the morning hours but based on the timing it appears that most of the activity should be out of the area by daybreak, other than a leftover shower in the far southeast. High pressure will build into the Great Lakes bringing drier air and a cool northeast breeze will usher a long awaited fall-like feel to the air here in early October. With sunshine on tap for the afternoon, highs will be pleasantly cool with temperatures topping out in the upper 60s.

You’ll finally need the light jackets again on Thursday morning as temperatures dip down into the low to mid-40s thanks to optimal cooling conditions thanks to clear skies and light winds. High pressure should remain in control for Thursday with additional sunshine and afternoon highs remaining in the upper 60s. Some of the data has been pinging on a mid-level wave sliding into the Ohio Valley from the west as a we close out the week on Friday but at this point it looks like we may see a few scattered clouds mixed in with the sunshine so look for the dry conditions to stay out as afternoon highs creep back into the low-70s.

The weekend looks good across the area, even with the aforementioned mid-level wave slowly making its way across the area on Saturday. Mostly sunny skies still look to be on tap with just delightful fall weather for the entire commonwealth. It should be a great weekend for any outdoor activities, including the numerous fall festivals that will be happening around the area. Look for temperatures in the morning to be crisp and very fall-like with readings in the mid-40s followed by a nice warm-up through the day thanks to all the expected sunshine as afternoon highs slowly climb back into the mid-70s across the board.