More cold air blasts into the region for the late week

It was another cold start to the day Wednesday across Central and Eastern Kentucky with most locations starting the day into the mid-20s. With a strong southwest wind ramping up through the day afternoon highs managed to climb back into the low to mid-40s. It still felt a bit on the cool side thanks to gusty winds over 35 miles per hour at times. Those winds will be a big player in our weather heading into the late week as another round of mid-winter cold air blasts into the Bluegrass.

A fast moving cold front will dive into the Ohio Valley during the early hours of Thursday bringing a reinforcing shot of cold air to the commonwealth. A few rain showers will be possible ahead of the front with a quick changeover to scattered snow showers as the front moves through. The initial concern will be the potential of a “flash freeze” in a few spots with any leftover moisture on the roadways freezing quickly given the quick drop in temperatures. While it shouldn’t be a widespread issue, a few slick spots will be possible so be aware on the roadways.

The more widespread impact will be the combination of the cold and strong northwest winds, which will drop our “feel-like” temperatures into the single digits Thursday morning. You’ll need to bundle up out the door with temperatures in the upper teens and a gusty wind pushing those wind chills down significantly. Even with some sunshine around it will be a cold day with afternoon highs struggling to reach the mid-20s in most locations. Winds will remain brisk to say the least with wind chills remaining in the teens throughout the afternoon so it won’t be much fun to be outdoors for any length of time Thursday.

Closing out the week on Friday expect quiet but cold weather across the region with afternoon highs crawling back into the low to mid-30s. Even though the winds will begin to diminish we could still see some single digit/low teens wind chill factors on Friday morning. Much of the weekend looks quiet with high pressure in control and high temperatures recovering through the 40s. We may see a shower late Sunday ahead of our next weather maker but the majority of Central and Eastern Kentucky should be dry through Sunday.

The big story next week will be milder air finally returning to the Ohio Valley but it will come with a price as our rain chances should really ramp up on Monday. A wave of energy from the southwest should bring abundant moisture to the area along with a front moving in from the west so a widespread rain event is looking more probable for the commonwealth. The good news is that temperatures will finally be well above average for a few days even with the rain around. Afternoon highs should climb all the way into the mid to upper 50s thanks to a southwest wind so it will be a nice break for the winter cold we’ve been dealing with lately.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Breezy with rain showers to snow showers, quickly falling temperatures late. Lows in the upper-teens.
THURSDAY: Breezy and cold, uncomfortable wind chills. Highs in the mid-20s.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and breezy, another cold night. Lows in the mid to upper teens.