Unseasonably mild air sticks around as rain chances increase

Despite a good bit of cloud cover across Central and Eastern Kentucky Thursday, we saw another unseasonably mild day by early January standards as a steady southeast wind pushed afternoon highs into the low to mid-60s in most locations. These readings were a solid 15 to 20 degrees above average for high temperatures and being just 1 week into the new year, it’s nice to enjoy a little mild air. Of course there is always a pay off when it comes to milder air in January and that will come in the form of some unsettled weather to close out the week and head into the weekend.

The first wave of energy will rotate northward into the early hours of Friday bringing scattered showers to the area along with a rumble of thunder or two. Winds will stay strong out of the south at 10 to 20 miles per hour, occasionally gusting even higher. This should prevent temperatures from dropping much so expect upper 50s out the door on Friday. The showers should wind down as we progress through the morning and we may end up with much of Friday being dry, breezy and unseasonably mild. Afternoon highs should surge into the mid to upper 60s as winds stay elevated from the south so it definitely won’t feel like early January across the region.

The second wave of low pressure will arrive Friday and into Saturday morning with another round of rain and storms. The most favorable area for heavy rain, and even a few strong storms should be across Southern Kentucky and closer to the Lake Cumberland area. Fortunately for us the bullseye for any organized strong to severe storms will remain off to our southwest, but of course some gusty showers/storms will be on the table similar to some of the recent events over the last month or so. As a result, the Storm Prediction Center has placed a good chunk of Central and Southern Kentucky in a low end Level 1 severe risk (out of 5) for Friday night with damaging winds being the primary threat. As the low treks northeast on Saturday, look for a few lingering showers as winds shift to the west and colder air begins to move in. Highs should be early in the afternoon with mid to upper 50s expected before dropping back into the 40s by the evening. It will feel like January to end the weekend Sunday with much colder air along with a few scattered snow showers as a weak wave of energy rotates through the region in the northwest flow. Afternoon highs may only reach the low to mid-30s and with a brisk northwest wind, our “feel-like” temps could be in the teens at times.

The good news is we should jump back into more tranquil weather to begin next week as high pressure builds in from the southwest. After a cold start on Monday morning with temperatures in the low-20s, sunshine should return through the day allowing afternoon highs to recover a bit into the upper 30s. This upward trend will continue on Tuesday with mid to upper 40s possible for highs thanks to a southwest flow kicking in. A fast moving clipper system may dive into the Ohio Valley on Wednesday bringing a few scattered rain showers along with a reinforcing shot of colder air behind it as our back and forth temperature pattern continues.