Preview of the fall season continues into the mid-week

It was another gorgeous, fall-like Tuesday across Central and Eastern Kentucky as an unseasonably cool area of high pressure controlled the weather across the Ohio Valley. Early morning lows dipped into the upper 40s in many spots to begin the day so it was a chilly start by late August standards. We tied the record low for Tuesday morning in Lexington as the mercury dropped to 48 degrees, the same reading we saw on August 26th back in 1945. With plenty of sunshine around and a pleasant north wind, afternoon highs recovered into the upper 70s for afternoon highs so it felt fantastic to be out and about.

With high pressure sitting right overhead and optimal conditions for good radiational cooling overnight, look for another record setting morning on Wednesday with low temperatures down into the upper 40s once again. There is a legitimate chance the record low will be broken in Lexington (49 degrees set back in 1968) and many other locations may set new marks as well. Abundant sunshine will be the rule through the afternoon with another pleasant day on tap  as high temperatures remain in the upper 70s, which is a few degrees below average for this time of the year.

The late week looks just as nice albeit a bit warmer as we continue to enjoy cool mornings and warm afternoons as the area of high pressure drifts off to the east of the commonwealth. Look for more sunshine on Thursday with highs creeping closer to the 80 degree mark. On Friday, a weakening cold front will drop through the Ohio Valley, but with such a dry air-mass in place we aren’t looking at any rain chances with it so it should be a good night for week 2 of high school football. Other than a few scattered clouds look for more sunshine and afternoon highs into the low-80s.

The aforementioned front will bring a reinforcing shot of mild air into the region just in time for Labor Day weekend. Saturday looks delightful with more sunshine and highs in the upper 70s, which is perfect for any outdoor activities, including the Cats home opener against Toledo Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field. Make sure you take the sunscreen along if you’ll be in direct sunlight at the game. While some of the data is trying to bring a little moisture and a few isolated storms back around for the second half of the holiday weekend, many of the models keep things high and dry through the holiday on Monday with temperatures warming back into the low-80s. Humidity levels will remain super low for this time of the year so it should feel fantastic to be outside over the next week or so.