Fantastic weather Tuesday ahead of a big temperature drop on Thursday

Temperature return to the 70s on Tuesday ahead of a strong cold front Wednesday night

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Enjoy today’s beautiful weather while it lasts! Tuesday will be a fantastic spring-like day with mostly sunny skies and highs reaching the low to mid-70s across central and eastern Kentucky. A steady southerly breeze will help fuel this warmup, setting the stage for an active midweek pattern.

By Wednesday, gusty winds will pick up, reaching speeds over 30 mph at times as a powerful storm system approaches from the west. Highs will once again climb into the mid-to-upper 70s, making for another warm day. However, the real action begins Wednesday evening as a strong cold front moves into the Ohio Valley. Showers and thunderstorms will fire up ahead of this front late in the evening and into the overnight hours. Some of these storms could be on the stronger side, mainly west of I-75, where wind and hail will be the primary threats.

Big Temperature Drop, Wintry Mix Possible Thursday

Spring officially begins at 5:01 a.m. Thursday, but Mother Nature has other plans. As the cold front sweeps through, temperatures will crash into the 30s by Thursday morning, with afternoon highs struggling to reach the low 40s. Lingering moisture could even lead to a mix of rain and snow showers through the morning and early afternoon, especially in higher elevations. No significant accumulation is expected, but it will be a raw and blustery day with wind chills making it feel even colder.

Brief Break Before Another Rainmaker

We’ll get a quick break from the unsettled weather on Friday as high pressure builds in, bringing dry conditions and highs rebounding into the low 60s. However, the next system will move in late Friday into Saturday, bringing a round of light rain, mainly in the early morning hours of Saturday.

Looking ahead, an even stronger system is on track to impact the region Sunday into Monday, with the potential for heavier rainfall. This will be a system to watch closely in the coming days.

Stay with the ABC 36 Storm Team for more updates.