Spring-like temperatures hang tough the next few days

Our rain chances will increase with a strong to severe threat Wednesday

1 hour ago

T.G. Shuck,

After a delightful finish to the first full weekend of March on Sunday with sunshine and highs in the low-60s, we enjoyed a very pleasant start to the new work week Monday across Central and Eastern Kentucky. We did see some reduced visibility thanks to some patchy dense fog here in the Bluegrass to start the day but after that the combination of sunshine along with a steady southwest wind helped push afternoon highs back into the low-70s so it was definitely another comfortable day to be out and about across the area.

The milder air will be sticking around as we roll into Tuesday as a southwest flow stays kicked in, allowing afternoon highs to reach the mid-70s, which is roughly 20 degrees above average for this time of the year. Most locations will see a mix of clouds and sunshine through the day as a wave of energy slides by to our west. We should see enough moisture feeding in to generate a few scattered showers and storms around the area so just take the rain gear along to be on the safe side.

A strong cold front will bear down on the Ohio Valley for the mid-week with the potential for a few severe storms on the table late Wednesday. The Storm Prediction Center has all of Kentucky in a Level 2 severe weather risk (out of 5) for Wednesday and Wednesday night. Damaging winds and some hail look to be the primary threats, but given the time of the year it is, we’ll have to watch for the low end tornado threat as more data comes in closer to the event. At this point, there is some indication that some cloudiness could have an impact on instability levels and the overall severe threat. Of course this bears watching along with the timing of storms so the bottom line is that there is still some uncertainty in the details, which we’ll watch closely heading toward Wednesday. Afternoon highs should be mild again with highs in the mid-70s as a gusty southwest wind pushes the warmth and moisture in ahead of the front.

Once the storm threat ends and the rain pushes eastward, we’ll see some big changes with temperatures as much cooler air returns for the late week. It will be a quick reminder that we are still in mid-March as afternoon highs back down into the upper 40s, which is a few degrees below average for this time of the year. Other than a few lingering showers in the east during the morning hours, it should be a dry day but a steady west to northwest wind should make it feel rather cool, especially given the extended and consistent stretch of unseasonably mild air we’ve enjoyed so far in March.

Heading into Friday and the upcoming weekend, look for another quiet stretch of weather with a bit of a rebound in temperatures. With a return flow kicking in as a very weak frontal boundary approaches from the northwest, afternoon highs should jump back to around 60 degrees on Friday with a few clouds around thanks to the front moving through the Ohio Valley. While we aren’t looking at any rain from this front, it should move through into early Saturday, which should help clear skies and bring some sunshine back in as we kick off the weekend. Afternoon highs should reach the low-60s so it should be nice for any outdoor activities you may have planned. Yet another frontal system will head our direction late Sunday so the typical southwest wind ahead of it will push afternoon highs back around 70 degrees. The day should start off dry with rain chances picking up late in the afternoon with the best chances coming Sunday night. Another big cooldown should arrive to begin next week with afternoon highs back down in the 40s so look for a bit of a roller coaster ride with our temperatures over the next week.