Damp and unsettled weather rolls along through the mid-week
Showers and occasional storms will be the rule the next few days with a strong storm threat possible Thursday
Following the successful viewing of the total solar eclipse for those areas just to our north and northwest on Monday, clouds and showers were the rule across the region on Tuesday. With a frontal boundary hanging just to our west many locations saw some slow moving light to moderate showers through the afternoon hours and this will be a prelude of things to come over the next 2 to 3 days. As expected temperatures were held in check compared to Monday with afternoon highs only topping out in the low to mid-60s. The bottom line is that you’ll want to have the umbrella and/or rain gear close by in the coming days.
As the boundary creeps eastward Wednesday along with some supporting energy, the rain and storm chances will stay put across Central and Eastern Kentucky. There is the potential for some pockets of moderate to heavy rain at times along with a few rumbles of thunder mixed in as well. The organized/strong threat is low for Wednesday so look for mainly a rain event with some occasional thunder. Temperatures may recover a few degrees with highs in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees.
A more significant and stronger wave of low pressure will make a bee-line for the Ohio Valley on Thursday keeping the rain chances in place and increasing our threat for organized thunderstorms across the area. The exact track of the low will be an important factor in the severe weather threat as a track through the heart of the bluegrass would aid in storms developing and with all the spin in the atmosphere all modes of severe weather would be on the table. A track farther west would change things a bit but still keep the chances around. The Storm Prediction Center has much of the viewing area in a Level 2 severe weather risk (out of 5) for the day on Thursday so we’ll keep a close eye between now and then.
By the time we wrap up the majority of the rain, we could have a widespread 1″-2″ rain out of this system so there could be some localized minor flooding issues but it doesn’t appear to be a big concern. It looks cooler with some lingering showers on Friday as highs only reach the mid-50s (if that). Right now the weekend is looking pretty good with a dry and milder Saturday as temperatures top out around the 70 degree mark. A weak boundary drops closer to the state to end of the weekend on Sunday but just an isolated shower or storm looks possible at this point. Afternoon highs look much better into the low and mid-70s into early next week.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
TUESDAY NIGHT: Occasional rain and thunder. Lows in the mid to upper-50s.
WEDNESDAY: More showers and storms. Highs in the upper-60s.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Breezy with rain and storms. Lows in the upper-50s.
