Hot and stormy into the weekend but a break from the heat is not far off!
A frontal boundary will drop through the commonwealth this weekend bringing storms followed by less humid air
The heat and humidity stayed cranked up on Friday as expected across Central and Eastern Kentucky with afternoon highs in the low and mid-90s. Humidity levels were sky high so our heat indices were between 100 and 105 degrees in most locations so it was a challenging day to be outside for any length of time. With a leftover boundary to focus on, big storms cranked up across Northern and Northeastern Kentucky producing torrential rain, gusty winds and frequent lightning. The rain cooled air took the edge off the heat in our Eastern Kentucky counties so that was an unexpected bonus not dealing with the oppressive conditions.
We aren’t out of the woods just yet heading into the weekend as the hot and muggy air stay in place on Saturday as a frontal boundary slowly drops through the Ohio Valley. Afternoon highs should be in the low 90s with heat indices around 100 degrees but our temperatures will be impacted by the timing of the expected storms heading into the afternoon hours. If the storms arrive earlier, a few spots may not make it out of the 80s. We do have a low end Level 1 severe risk (out of 5) from the Storm Prediction Center on Saturday. The primary threat will be damaging winds, but torrential rain and frequent lightning may cause some issues as well.
There is some good news on the horizon as we finally get a break from the big heat and humidity as we close out July and kick off August. An area of high pressure drifting into the Great Lakes will help push the front to the south of Kentucky late Sunday. With a pleasant north to northeast breeze pushing less humid and more comfortable air into the region, next Monday and Tuesday will feel great. Afternoon highs will be in the mid-80s, which is slightly below average and more importantly our “muggy meter” takes a tumble as dew-point temperatures drop from the tropical 70s into the 50s so it should feel really nice to begin August!
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
FRIDAY NIGHT: Warm and muggy, a few storms. Lows in the low to mid-70s.
SATURDAY: Hot and humid, scattered storms. Highs in the low-90s.
SATURDAY NIGHT: More storms, still muggy. Lows in the low-70s.
