Pleasant temperatures on tap as we finish out August

It was a pretty decent start to this final week of August, especially when you consider the unbearable heat and humidity that we dealt with at the end of last week. We saw  the most sunshine Monday across the Bluegrass region northward, while our southern Kentucky saw clouds and a few scattered showers thanks to an upper level disturbance to our south. This had an impact on temperatures with afternoon highs in the low to mid-80s in Central Kentucky while Southern Kentucky held check into the mid to upper 70s. Even though the summer is winding down, we’ve got more heat in the extended forecast despite some comfy air in the short term.

Expect more of the same on Tuesday as some upper level energy passes just to the south of the commonwealth. As a result the farther south you go, the better chance to see a few showers. We could some rain showers as far north as Lexington but the bulk of the activity will be south of the Bluegrass region. For the second day in a row, temperatures will be impacted by the cloud cover and shower chances but it appears most locations should reach the low 80s.

The tropics have ramped up with Tropical Storm Idalia forecast (which should soon be a hurricane) to track toward the “Big Bend” area of Florida north of Tampa and make landfall as a major hurricane sometime on Wednesday morning. Even as it weakens a bit once inland, it should still be a Tropical Storm as it rolls along the South Carolina coastline before heading out to sea. This is the time of the year when the Atlantic starts getting active so unfortunately this may not be the only storm that threatens the U.S. mainland heading into the fall.

A weak front getting a push from a big area of high pressure dropping into the Great Lakes will usher in some incredible weather here in the Ohio Valley as we close out August. With plenty of sunshine and a northeast wind, afternoon highs should be right around the 80 degree mark on Wednesday and Thursday with low humidity levels to boot. This high pressure center will be instrumental in helping push Idalia out into the Atlantic instead of it riding up the east coast toward the end of the week.

We should stay high and dry through the upcoming Labor Day weekend as the heat begins to build back into the area. Highs should be around 90 degrees on Saturday for Kentucky’s home football opener against Ball State and with a Noon kickoff, you’ll definitely need to hydrate and wear plenty of sunscreen. That goes for any outdoor activity through the holiday weekend as highs reach the low and mid-90s through Monday.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy with showers south. Lows in the mid to upper-60s.
TUESDAY: Partly cloudy with showers south. Highs in the low-80s.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and pleasant. Lows in the upper-50s.