More great fall weather on the way to close out the week

It was another splendid day across Central and Eastern Kentucky on Thursday as the quiet October weather pattern rolled along. With a weakening backdoor front sliding in from the northeast, winds shifted in that direction allowing slightly “cooler” air to filter into the region. The only difference was afternoon high temperatures a couple of degrees cooler compared to Wednesday with readings topping out in the low 70s with plenty of sunshine.

Of course Hurricane Milton made landfall as a major category 3 hurricane around Siesta Key, Florida around 8:30pm Thursday evening. As expected it brought very strong winds and high storm surge to much of the Florida Peninsula knocking out power to over 3 million Floridians. Winds gusted over 100 miles per hour in many locations with incredible rainfall amounts in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. It also spawned an unusual tornado outbreak with several damaging long-track tornadoes across the southern and eastern part of the state. Over 130  Tornado Warnings were issued which is the second highest single day total on record.

Expect more of the same into Friday as high pressure drops out of the Great Lakes into the Ohio Valley. It will be a chilly start to the day with morning lows in the low 40s so a light jacket or sweater may come in handy. Once the sunshine gets rolling it should be another perfect fall day with sunshine and afternoon highs into the low 70s. It should be a great evening for high school football across the commonwealth as temperatures settle down into the 60s through the evening.

The upcoming weekend looks good to start on Saturday with fair skies and warmer temperatures expected. Afternoon highs should make a run at the upper 70s and with all the sunshine around it should be a fantastic day for any outdoor activities. With all the fall festivals going on, the fall meet at Keeneland continuing and Kentucky and Vanderbilt at Kroger Field on Saturday evening, our weather couldn’t be more ideal so get out and enjoy it. A frontal boundary will make a run for the area late Sunday which will usher in some changes next week.

The aforementioned frontal system will slide through to end the weekend with a stray shower or two possible late Sunday and into Sunday night but without much available moisture it should be mainly dry. Expect a breezy day with winds out of the southwest helping to push afternoon highs into the upper 70s to around 80 degrees. This front will shift our weather pattern significantly as a legitimate shot of cool air arrives early next week. Monday looks very cool with scattered clouds, breezy conditions and afternoon highs struggling to get into the low 60s. Our first frost of the season may be on the way with Tuesday night looking mostly likely for that to occur. Winds may stay up enough to prevent that Monday night but it will be on the cold side with morning lows into the 30s and afternoon highs only in the mid to upper 50s into the middle of next week.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
THURSDAY NIGHT: Clear skies and chilly. Lows in the low-40s.
FRIDAY: Lots of sunshine, very nice. Highs in the mid-70s.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Fair skies, pleasantly cool. Lows in the upper-40s