Cool late October pattern hangs around to close out the week

It was a chilly start to Thursday across Central and Eastern Kentucky but many locations managed to avoid the expected frost thanks to a light southwest wind keeping the air mixed up along with a few scattered clouds  drifting through the area. Those morning clouds even squeezed out a few raindrops before drifting eastward as the sunshine won out the remainder of the day. Afternoon highs reached the low to mid-60s as winds stayed a bit breezy once again with occasional gusts over 20 miles per hour.

Our coldest morning of the season could be on tap for Friday as we’ll see a more optimal set-up for radiational cooling as high pressure builds in from the northwest. With clear skies and lighter winds, temperatures should drop down into the low to mid-30s on Friday morning. As a result, a Freeze Warning is out for all of Central and Eastern Kentucky. In this scenario, a widespread frost looks more likely with a few locations dropping below freezing for a short period of time. Of course protect those tender plants by bringing them indoors if possible or covering them up, although this doesn’t appear to be a hard freeze, which would signal the end of the growing season. The rest of Friday looks very pleasant as afternoon highs reach the low to mid-60s once again.

This weekend should be good for outdoor activities, including Kentucky’s big match-up with archrival Tennessee on Saturday night at Kroger Field. With a good bit of sunshine around, afternoon highs should reach the mid-60s so tailgating weather should be ideal leading up to kickoff. Expect a few scattered clouds during the game with “football weather” feel to the air as temperatures drop through the 50s by the end of the game. A weak wave of energy may bring clouds and a passing shower Saturday night before it moves out of the area pretty quickly. Look for a mix of clouds and sunshine with mainly dry conditions and highs in the mid-60s on Sunday so it should be a good finish to the weekend overall.

Early next week our rain chances will ramp up as a few waves of energy roll into the Ohio Valley from the west and southwest. You’ll need the rain gear from time to time with scattered showers on the table beginning Monday and continuing through the mid-week. Overall it looks like a dreary stretch of weather as the clouds and rain hold serve for several days and some cooler air filters in as well. Afternoon highs should struggle to get out of the upper 50s on Monday and the trend of unseasonably cool days will increase as the shower chances stay in place. Temperatures may only get into the low to mid-50s for afternoon highs  as we hit the home stretch for the month of October.