Clouds linger into Thursday as we briefly dry out

It was definitely another damp and dreary day on Wednesday across Central and Eastern Kentucky thanks to a weak boundary hanging over the region and a wave of low pressure to our southeast throwing some additional moisture back into the commonwealth. While the rain wasn’t overly heavy, it was definitely pesky with light showers and drizzle for the majority of the day. Even with winds shifting to the north through the day we still managed to reach the upper 50s and low 60s for afternoon highs, which is still above average for early March. With all the unseasonably mild air of late many trees, plants and even the dandelions are beginning to pop.

Even though the frontal boundary and wave of low pressure will slide eastward into Thursday, some low level moisture will stay locked in to the area keeping low clouds and some patchy drizzle in the picture. This is a typical set-up this time of the year so it should remain a bit on the dreary side on Thursday. After the drizzle winds down early in the day, clouds will linger but hopefully we’ll see a few peeks of sunshine late in the afternoon. Many times the model data tries to clear it out a bit too quickly so we’ll see how it shakes out Thursday. The cloud cover will have an impact on where we end up for afternoon highs as more clouds would mean upper 50s and more sunshine low 60s, which is not bad either way.

Our next storm system will head into the Ohio Valley for Friday and Saturday keeping things dame and unsettled heading into the weekend. The activity should be scattered on Friday with highs in the low 60s before the main wave of low pressure slides through on Saturday with solid rain chances across the board. With a southwest flow ahead of the low, afternoon highs should reach the low 60s on Saturday despite the clouds and rain around. At this point the thunderstorm chances look minimal although a rumble of thunder can’t be ruled out. The exact track of the low will determine how much rain we see although the data is indicating solid 1″+ totals are possible from Friday morning through Saturday night.

The second half of the weekend should be dry and cooler as high pressure slowly builds in from the west. For a change of pace afternoon highs will be in the upper 40s with a bit of sunshine returning so it will be one of the rare days we are below average for highs during the next 7 days. Once again a remainder that it is time to “Spring Forward” this Sunday morning as Daylight Saving Time returns at 2am Eastern. Set your clocks forward 1 hour before retiring Saturday night and get ready for it to stay lighter later into the evenings going forward.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with patchy drizzle, some fog. Lows in the mid-40s.
THURSDAY: Clouds linger, pleasant temperatures. Highs in the upper 50s and low 60s.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy and cool. Lows in the mid-40s.