Big weather change up occurring Wednesday afternoon

A cold front brings rain and snow

Wednesday morning started mild, in the low to mid-40s. A band of rain has crept across the bluegrass, causing a soggy commute for many. Those to the SE remain dry until this rain spreads in the late morning. This is when the cold front passes through.

As the front passes, winds will quickly shift from being out of the southwest to strongly gusting out of the northwest. This causes temperatures to drop throughout the afternoon. As they drop below freezing, rain turns to snow from NW to SE.

Snow will start scattered and light. As it increases in the south, it becomes more widespread with the chance for some heavier pockets of snowfall. Because of this, many won’t see much in terms of accumulations. A light coating on grassy and elevated surfaces may occur across the Bluegrass. South of the Hal Rogers Parkway, 0.5″-1.0″ may accumulate, causing the possibility of minor impacts.

Watch for a few possible slick spots on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Most roadways should be ok thanks to slow-cooling asphalt and gusty winds drying roads quickly. Still, a few slippery spots may occur. This is especially true for elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses.

Staying winter-like through the end of the week

Following the Wednesday cold front, temperatures drop overnight into the teens and 20s. With strong winds gusting up to 30 mph, the feels-like temperatures will drop into the single digits. You will want to bundle up heading out the door Thursday morning. Any precipitation left on outdoor cars overnight will freeze, so be prepared to get out a few minutes early to scrape and defrost. I don’t foresee many issues with this, luckily.

A few flurries may persist through the day on Thursday. Afternoon temperatures will struggle to make it out of the 20s.

Friday will stay cold, with morning temperatures in the teens and even colder wind-chills. We may see some light snow fall Friday morning. It’s looking unlikely that we see any morning commute impacts.

A chance for more meaningful snowfall

Friday night into Saturday, another winter system will move through. This brings the possibility of some moderate snow showers, possibly a few snow squalls. Confidence in still low, as a lot could change between now and then. As of Wednesday morning, the location, timing, and amounts are unknown.

We’ll stay cold after this system, with winter weather sticking around through next week.