Summer warmth and severe storms expected to end the week

It was a warm and breezy Thursday across Central and Eastern Kentucky as a warm front lifted through the Ohio Valley, bringing a taste of summer to the region. Sunshine mixed with a gusty south wind helped push temperatures well into the 80s to go along with muggy conditions. If you had a chance to enjoy it—great! Because the pattern is about to turn stormy to close out the week.

Friday Brings a Serious Severe Weather Threat

A line of strong to severe storms will already be ongoing to our west into the early hours of Friday. As that line pushes east into Kentucky during the morning, it’s expected to weaken—but some scattered thunderstorms could still affect parts of our area early in the day. The big question will be whether the atmosphere can “recharge” in time for another round of storms later in the day. Current guidance suggests it will.

By Friday afternoon and especially into the evening hours, all the ingredients will be in place for significant severe weather. That includes large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes, with even a few strong tornadoes not out of the question. We could initially see isolated supercells develop to our west before forming into a line or bowing cluster of storms that pushes east across Kentucky.

Because of this threat, the Storm Prediction Center has placed all of Central and Eastern Kentucky under a Level 3 (Enhanced) risk for severe weather with areas just west of Lexington in a Level 4 (Moderate) risk, so we’ve declared it an ABC 36 “Weather Impact Day”. This means you need to be alert and prepared—especially since it’s a Friday heading into a busy spring weekend. Make sure you have a way to get warnings, and check in on friends and family who may not be weather-aware.

Weekend Calm Returns (Mostly)

The good news is that the weekend brings a break from the severe weather. The cold front responsible for Friday’s storms will settle to our south by Saturday, and while a few lingering showers or storms may hang around early in the day, the trend should be drier as we move through the afternoon. Temperatures will stay mild and comfortable, topping out in the upper 70s.

Sunday looks even better with dry skies for most and highs again in the upper 70s to near 80°. While there could be a few stray showers creeping in from the south late, especially closer to the Tennessee border, most of the area stays dry through the second half of the weekend.

Another Storm System to Watch Next Week

As we head into early next week, the pattern turns more active again. Monday looks mainly dry with seasonable warmth in the mid-70s, but by Tuesday night into Wednesday, another storm system could bring a renewed chance for strong to severe storms. It’s still early, so details will become clearer in the coming days—but it’s something we’ll be watching closely.