Comfortable weather rolls along to close out the week

With an area of Canadian high pressure locked into the Ohio Valley, it was a splendid Thursday of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky, especially for the late stages of July. A northeast wind continued to push unseasonably mild and very dry air into the commonwealth so combined with lots of sunshine in place, it was a pretty ideal day to spend some time outdoors given the lack of heat and  humidity. Afternoon highs reached the upper 70s with a few low-80s down south and the absence of the usual muggy air just added to the comfort factor.

High pressure will continue to hang on as we wrap up the week on Friday so expect another quiet day of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky. Humidity levels will remain pretty low for late July so it should be another comfortable day as afternoon highs recover a few degrees into the low-80s for most spots. There should be a few scattered clouds to go along with the sunshine but that will be the only blemish on what looks to be another very pleasant day. Take advantage of it while it lasts as more typical conditions for late July kick back in over the weekend.

A stalled out front to our south will begin to lift back to the north as a warm front heading into Saturday, allowing for the summer warmth and humidity to slowly creep back into the region. The boundary should be close enough to potentially squeeze out a few isolated storms during the afternoon hours across Southern Kentucky but otherwise it should be a mainly dry day. With a southwest flow in place, humidity levels will climb a bit as afternoon highs remain into the low to mid-80s. Overall you should be in pretty good shape for any outdoor plans on the docket for the final weekend of July. It will feel more like the heart of the summer season again by Sunday with afternoon highs back into the upper 80s and humidity levels on the increase as well.

Early next week the overall storm chances look marginal but we’ll be on the eastern edge of an upper level ridge to our west, which puts us in line to possibly be impacted by a few thunderstorm complexes that develop across the Upper Midwest and ride southeast into the Ohio Valley. This is a typical set-up for late July and into early August here in our region, but pinning down the timing and placement of these systems can be quite challenging. While the best storm chances should remain just to our north, there is the potential that parts of Central and Eastern Kentucky could catch some rain and storms from one of the complexes into Monday and Tuesday so just keep that in mind. It will feel like the final days of July with afternoon highs in the upper 80s and our “feel-like” readings well into the 90s. A weak front should help back temperatures off a few degrees into the mid-week.