The Heat Builds, Humidity Rises

Good Friday morning, folks!  We’re near the halfway point of June, and so far, temperatures have been running 3.8° below average in Lexington.  The cool weather of late will soon give way to the more typical heat and humidity of summer, as temperatures will be rising into the upper 80s and lower 90s over the next few days.  Isolated thunderstorms will form daily, at least somewhere in Kentucky between the Tennessee line and the Ohio River.  Coverage will be slim, though.

This morning, the visible satellite picture shows mainly clear skies across most of central and northern Kentucky, with some clouds to the south and southeast.  There are even a few isolated, very small showers in southern and southeastern Kentucky right now under the taller clouds.

Courtesy: Penn State Univ. Dept. of Meteorology

Most of the area will stay dry today, with just a few isolated showers and thunderstorms in southern parts of Kentucky.  Here’s the latest GFS forecast for precipitation between 11 AM and 2 PM today, indicating dry weather for the Bluegrass Region and northern Kentucky, and just a few spotty showers and thunderstorms in southern Kentucky.

Courtesy: Penn State Univ. Dept. of Meteorology

The big story will become the heat and humidity, as temperatures "stair-step" it up from 86° today to 87° on Saturday, 88° on Sunday and then 89° on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.  By Wednesday and Thursday, we should reach the lower 90s.  Humidity will be on the rise, so heat indices will be in the lower 90s during the hottest hours this weekend, and into the middle 90s by the middle of next week.

Saturday’s high temps will be on the warm side of normal across much of the Ohio Valley and central US.

Courtesy: Penn State Univ. Dept. of Meteorology

… and it is all "up" from there!

Enjoy your weekend, and be safe, as isolated thunderstorms will be firing in central and eastern Kentucky on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  They won’t cover much ground, but there will be some lightning out there.

Geoff