Unsettled weather pattern kicks in for the late week

We’ve enjoyed a sneak preview of summer the last several days across Central and Eastern Kentucky with mainly dry and very warm conditions but we started a slow shift in our weather pattern Wednesday as a slow moving frontal boundary dropped into the commonwealth. With plenty of moisture around on the heels of a breezy southwest wind, scattered showers and storms popped up around the area with some localized heavy rain and gusty winds. A few storms were on the strong side across Southeastern Kentucky with the dynamics were more favorable for severe weather. Even with the clouds and scattered storms, it was another warm spring day with afternoon highs in the upper 70s here in the Bluegrass with mid to upper-80s in the southeast before the storms moved in.

The front will drop south of Kentucky on Thursday so our showers and storm chances should back off slightly with Southern Kentucky being the most favorable area for organized rainfall. Farther north the activity should be a bit more scattered and the bigger story will be some cooler air filtering back in on the heels of a northeast wind with high pressure sitting over the Great Lakes. Afternoon highs should only sneak into the low-70s, which is about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than what we’ve enjoyed so far this week but it will still be pretty comfortable for late May.

The stalled out boundary to our south will begin to arc back to the north as a warm front as we close out the week on Friday, bringing another chance of more widespread showers and storms to Central and Eastern Kentucky. Of course given the on-going spring drought we’ve been dealing with, it’s good news as we definitely need to get some water in the ground. Temperatures should recover a bit despite the rain as a southwest wind pushes warmer air back into the region with afternoon highs back into the upper 70s. Heading into Memorial Day weekend the frontal boundary will stay stalled out over the Ohio Valley with additional rain and storm chances on the table. With plenty of outdoor activities going on given it’s a holiday weekend, you’ll need to check the weather and adjust accordingly with the expected rain and storms.

While the remainder of the long holiday weekend won’t be a complete wash-out, we should see some consistent shower and storm chances both Sunday and for Memorial Day on Monday as the boundary stays put over the Ohio Valley and waves of energy ride along it which should help enhance some of the rainfall. The timing could be better given that it’s a holiday weekend but we definitely need the rain given the overall deficit in precipitation this spring so far and the subsequent drought we are currently in. Some of the data is showing a solid 2″-3″ rainfall over the next week, which would go a long way to chipping away at the drought. Temperatures should be fairly warm as we approach the end of the month with afternoon highs in the upper-70s and low-80s.