The heat is back and storm chances will follow into the holiday
You could really feel the warmer air and humidity return on Tuesday which sets the table for storms in the coming days
What a difference a day makes! We began the month of July on a very pleasant note with comfortable temperatures/humidity levels and just like flipping a switch, hot and humid air came rolling back into Central and Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday. With high pressure giving way and drifting into New England, a comfortable northeast wind was replaced by a southwest wind which pushed plenty of warm and moist air back into the region. Afternoon highs surged back into the upper 80s to around 90 degrees along with dewpoints back into the upper 60s and low 70s. This is much more typical of early July weather and the warmth and moisture will set the table for some active weather into Independence Day.
Wednesday looks hot and humid as afternoon highs run into the low 90s with a few mid-90s possible if the clouds and isolated storms hold off much of the day. The best window for storms looks to be Wednesday night and into the early hours of the 4th of July with the data indicating a few rounds of storms moving through. The Storm Prediction Center has the Northern Bluegrass (including Lexington) in a Level 2 severe risk (out of 5) with damaging wind gusts being the primary threat.
With plenty of moisture and humidity around, look for a very muggy Independence Day and with a frontal boundary close by there should be a solid chance for occasional rain and storms through the 4th. Hopefully we’ll squeeze in some dry windows from time to time, but Mother Nature may try to crash the celebrations with some fireworks of her own through Thursday. A cold front will follow suit on Friday keeping the rain and storm chances around as the long holiday weekend continues. With the clouds and rain around, afternoon highs should be in the upper 80s. There is some good news in that the forecast is trending drier and a little less humid for the second half of the holiday weekend with highs in the mid to upper 80s so those days should be good for outdoor holiday activities.
Even though the timing could be way better, we could use some legitimate rainfall as much of the area is behind the curve with rainfall as we get deeper in the summer. Many area lawns are starting to dry out (if they aren’t being watered regularly) so we could use some decent rain across the area. The latest drought monitor indicates “abnormally dry” conditions across parts of the commonwealth but a new measurement is taken today with those numbers updated this coming Thursday so we’ll see if conditions have gotten worse, especially considering the expected rainfall the next few days will not be factored in to the updated map later this week.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear, warm and muggy. Lows in the low to mid-70s.
WEDNESDAY: Hot and humid, a few storms late. Highs in the low to mid-90s.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Scattered rain and storms. Lows in the low-70s.
