Warm and breezy into the mid-week

It was another delightful mid-June day across Central and Eastern Kentucky with more sunshine and pleasant temperatures Tuesday. With high pressure drifting to the east a bit, this allowed a return flow out of the southwest to push a bit more moisture along with warmer air into the commonwealth. Most locations topped out in the upper 70s to around 80 degrees for afternoon highs so it was a good day to be out and about. A weak frontal system will be dropping in from the northwest heading into the overnight hours, so look for a few isolated storms to return although the majority of the area should be dry.

It should definitely feel more like the heart of June on Wednesday  as an unusually strong area of low pressure for this time of the year rolls into the western Great Lakes. This will help increase our southwest winds with gusts around 30 miles per hour through the day. The combination of expected sunshine along with the breeze will push warm, moist air into the commonwealth so look for afternoon highs to jump into the mid to upper 80s in most locations with increasing humidity levels. Organized severe weather is expected to our northwest during the day with the data indicating a weakening line of storms arriving into the overnight hours. While the timing should help reduce the overall severe threat, the Storm Prediction Center does have much of the area in a Level 1 severe risk (out of 5) to cover a low end damaging wind potential with any stronger storms.

As the front slowly drifts to the south on Thursday, look for more widespread showers and storms to develop across the region. Given the slow movement of the front and tropical moisture in place, some heavy rain is expected especially across drought plagued Southern Kentucky but we will have to watch for too much of a good thing too quickly. The chance for a few strong to severe storms will be on the table as the Storm Prediction Center has much of Central and Eastern Kentucky in a Level 2 severe risk (out of 5) with damaging winds being the main concern. It will be another warm and humid day with afternoon highs in the low-80s. Heading into Juneteenth on Friday, a few leftover showers and storms will be possible during the morning hours, especially across Southern and Eastern Kentucky before drier air moves in as the front pushes south so look for a more comfortable afternoon for any activities you may have for the holiday.

We should close out the spring season in style on Saturday as high pressure builds in from the west. With plenty of sunshine around and lower humidity levels, it should be a great day for any outdoor plans as afternoon highs reach the low-80s. Heading into Father’s Day (and the official start of summer with the Summer Solstice occuring at 4:24 am Sunday), we should begin the day dry and pleasant but a wave of low pressure along with a trailing front will be rotating into the Ohio Valley from the west, this will increase the chances for showers and storms as we get deeper into Sunday afternoon so keep that in mind for any outdoor plans you may have. Our best rain chances look to be on Monday as the wave slowly moves through the region so you’ll want to keep the umbrella handy. Afternoon highs should stay pretty warm with temperatures in the low-80s despite the storm chances.