Roller coaster ride of temperatures continues into the weekend

We saw a big reminder on Friday that the winter season is officially arriving this weekend as a blast of much colder air moved back into the commonwealth to end the week. Very strong winds, heavy rain and mild air along a cold front late Thursday gave way to more winter-like air and a few snowflakes to begin Friday. Winds were still elevated with gusts well over 30 miles per hour through the morning. With temperatures in the mid to upper 20s, our “feel-like” temps dropped into the low teens at times so it was quite a shock to the system heading out early. The rest of the day featured slow clearing from west to east and unseasonably cold air as afternoon highs struggled back into the low to mid-30s here in the Bluegrass with upper 30s to even a few low 40s down south. It was still a chilly day compared the milder air we’ve enjoyed the last few days.

Fortunately the cold won’t stick around long as temperatures are expected to rebound nicely as we kick off the weekend and close out the fall season on Saturday. Even with clear skies into the early hours, temperatures should remain steady and even rise slightly toward daybreak as winds shift back around to the south. This will give us a jump start on a nice warm-up through Saturday with a very nice December day on tap. With plenty of sunshine and the steady south breeze afternoon highs should jump back into the low-50s, which will be ideal for any last minute holiday shopping or activities you may have planned.

A weak boundary will slide through with very little fanfare as the Winter Solstice occurs at 10:03 am Sunday morning so look for a few clouds and chilly temperatures early in the day before we see some additional sunshine through the remainder of the day. Afternoon highs will back off a bit with highs dropping into the low to mid-40s, which is right on par for average temperatures for the first day of winter. Kicking off Christmas week, quiet conditions will be the rule as temperatures climb slightly on Monday with highs more in the mid to upper 40s range along with some increasing clouds ahead of a system that could bring a few showers to the area by Monday night and Tuesday.

A wave of energy is forecast to slide through the Ohio Valley Tuesday so you’ll need the rain gear as a few scattered showers will be on the table. The bigger story will be a return of unseasonably mild air to the region with that upward trend continuing as we hit the holidays late next week. Even with clouds and showers around, afternoon highs will top out in the low-50s Tuesday before surging into the upper 50s by Christmas Eve! Expect a few clouds around and a low end shower chance both Wednesday and for Christmas Day so we’ll have to wait until next year for another chance at a white Christmas. Afternoon highs Thursday should reach the low 60s so it should feel downright balmy for the holiday this year!