Rain and storms return to the Bluegrass Tuesday

After a nice weekend that started with spring-like mild air and ended with a touch of fall, it was a nice start to the week Monday across Central and Eastern Kentucky. Despite a chilly start to the day with readings in the upper 20s, abundant sunshine through the day helped push afternoon highs back into the mid-50s, which is right around average for this time of the year.

Tuesday will usher in what appears to be an unsettled week of weather for most of the region as an area of low pressure slides through the commonwealth. You’ll definitely need the rain gear from time to time with occasional rain and a few storms on tap throughout the day. The morning looks wet before we see a brief break but more scattered activity could form later in the day. There is the possibility of a few strong storms during the afternoon, especially given the spin associated with the low so the Storm Prediction Center has much of the area under a Level 1 severe risk (out of 5) with the most favorable region being into Western Kentucky. The typical hazards are in play and any storm that spikes up in intensity should weaken after sunset. Afternoon highs should reach the upper 50s to around 60, even with the damp weather around.

The mid-week doesn’t look like a wash-out as we catch a brief break in the wet weather. A stalled out frontal boundary will be camped out across the southern half of Kentucky but there won’t be a bunch of moisture available for it to work with. Although a spotty shower or two can’t be ruled out most locations may end up dry. Afternoon highs look to reach the upper 50s across the northern half of the state with a few mod to upper 60s down south on the other side of the boundary. Another area of low pressure will approach from the west on Thursday, adding moisture to the mix as the front arcs back to the north as a warm front so more widespread showers will be possible again heading into the late week.

The aforementioned low pressure system is forecast to slide across the Ohio Valley to close out the week on Friday so more wet and unsettled weather should be on tap. The umbrella may be a popular item during this window as additional steady showers and a few rumbles of thunder. Unfortunately it may not be ideal conditions for the 3rd week of the high school football playoffs here in the commonwealth so plan ahead in that regard. The shower chances should begin to wind down through Saturday with hopefully some dry times this weekend as afternoon highs top out in the upper 50s. Rainfall totals over the next week should be a solid 1″-2″ with locally high amounts.