Rain and storm chances ramp up to end the week
The humidity has returned so it will feel more like August with more muggy air into the weekend
We’ve enjoyed a fantastic stretch of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky all the way back to last weekend with low humidity levels as temperatures slowly warmed up but Thursday was transition day as we shift back into a more typical pattern for mid-August. We started out the day with plenty of sunshine before mid to high level “debris clouds” drifted in as an area of thunderstorms to our west weakened out. This didn’t prevent afternoon highs from still making a run into the upper 80s in most spots and if not for the clouds moving in, it could have been hotter than that. Winds shift to the south and you could feel the slight increase in humidity, which signals a return of muggy air into Friday.
With a slow moving storm system sliding in from the west we’ll see a return of scattered rain and storm chances heading into Friday. In fact don’t be surprised to even hear some rain on the rooftop during the early hours of Friday with the bulk of our chances coming through the day. While the activity should be scattered in nature, we could see some heavier downpours in a few spots. The Storm Prediction Center has the entire state in a low-end Level 1 severe risk (out of 5) for Friday so an isolated strong storm or two isn’t off the table but I don’t think we’ll see widespread strong to severe storms as gusty to damaging winds will be the main threat. Temperatures will still be warm with highs in the mid to upper 80s and you’ll definitely feel more humidity.
The cold front will take its time working through the commonwealth as we begin the weekend so expect additional rain and storm chances Saturday with highs still in the mid to upper 80s. Behind the front we should see a drop in temperatures but also hang onto to the possibility of a few showers Sunday as another “spoke” of energy rotates around the departing low. Afternoon highs will drop off into the low 80s for Sunday and Monday with just a stray shower possible to kick off next week.
We could see a decent amount of rainfall with around .50″ to 1″ totals (even more in localized areas down south in the 2″-3″ range) from the shower chances over the weekend, which is a plus as we continue to chip away at the dry conditions that plagued the area earlier in the summer. The latest Drought Monitor shows improvement for a lot of Central and Eastern Kentucky but there are still a few areas around Harrodsburg and Danville and northeast up around Maysville that are still in the Moderate Drought with abnormally dry conditions across the rest of the northern half of the state. The expected rainfall between now and Monday will hopefully help, plus we get the bonus of at or below average temperatures into next week with highs into the low to mid-80s.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
THURSDAY NIGHT: Warm and muggy, storms return. Lows in the upper-60s and low 70s.
FRIDAY: Breezy with scattered rain and storms. Highs in the upper-80s.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Muggy with more storms. Lows in the upper-60s to around 70 degrees.
