Dodging more showers and storms this weekend

It was another hot and humid finish to the week across Central and Eastern Kentucky as the typical July weather pattern stayed in place over the region. With a weak boundary and mid-level wave of energy just to our north, scattered showers and storms fired up through the day providing some locally heavy rainfall given their slow movement along with some gusty winds in a few spots. Away from the thunderstorms, temperatures surged into the upper 80s and low-90s for afternoon highs with the humidity putting our heat indices right around the century mark during the peak warmth of the day, so it was pretty oppressive if you had to be outdoors for any length of time.

Heading into Saturday we should see a repeat performance with more heat and humidity along with having to dodge a few scattered showers and storms on occasion. Don’t cancel any outdoor weekend plans as we aren’t looking at a wash-out by any means, just check conditions before you head out. With a mix of clouds and sunshine expected, afternoon highs will climb back into the upper 80s to around 90 degrees with slightly higher “feel-like” temperatures so make sure to hydrate and slow it down during the hottest part of the day. Any storms that pop will once again have the potential to produce some heavy downpours, which could create some localized flooding.

The weak frontal boundary will drop further south by Sunday, pushing the best scattered storm chances to Southern Kentucky especially during the afternoon highs. While we won’t get much relief from the warm and humid conditions, it should be mainly dry for many locations to close out the weekend so it should be a little better for outdoor plans around the area. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 80s Sunday, which is right around average heading into late July. We should be in between systems Monday so expect a mostly dry day with some sunshine and afternoon highs either side of the 90 degree mark as the hot weather stays locked in.

A more significant cold front is forecast to drop through the Ohio Valley on Tuesday, bringing a better chance for rain and storms along with shifting our overall weather pattern later next week. The Storm Prediction Center has parts of the area in the elevated risk range for strong to severe storm potential during that window so that’s something to monitor in the coming days for the potential of organized severe storms. In addition to the storm chances this front will usher in a legitimate shot of drier and less humid air behind it, giving us a much needed break from the persistent muggy conditions of late. It should also be slightly “milder” as temperatures only top out into the low-80s so it should feel really good during that stretch, especially by late July standards.