Wednesday stays dry, with rain chances on the horizon

A mild and dry midweek

Wednesday starts mild in the mid-40s for many, slightly warmer to the south. We’ll keep that temperature gradient throughout the day. Some may also be starting the day with some dew and patchy fog outside. High temperatures today are expected to be in the mid-to-upper 50s. Clouds will clear throughout the day, leaving us with mostly sunny conditions by the afternoon.

Tonight will stay mostly clear, with some clouds moving back in late. Temperatures will drop to the low 40s and upper 30s.

Thursday will be cloudy and mild. Strong southern winds gusting up to 30 mph will bring in warm southern air. This hikes temperatures into the mid 60s. We will be dry during the day.

Rain chances ramping up

Overnight Thursday into Friday morning, a weak cold front slides by the Bluegrass. This kicks off our rain chances, with multiple rounds of rainfall falling throughout the day on Friday. You will want to bring the umbrella with you. We may have a bit of dry time in the evening ahead of a secondary, stronger cold front that will move through Friday night.

This second cold front will bring in a line of showers and even some possible thunderstorms. Currently, a level 1 severe weather risk extends up into the far southwestern portions of our viewing area. The main threat for strong to severe storms remains farther south and west. Still, a stronger storm or two could persist into the Bluegrass. This would bring gusty winds and heavy rainfall.

By the time we finally dry up Saturday afternoon, we will have received 1-2″ of rain, with our higher amounts concentrated closer to southern KY. Anywhere that saw a thunderstorm may have a higher localized amount near 3″. There is no concern for flooding with this soaking rain, as it will fall over the course of several days. We may see ponding on roadways and in ditches, as well as a brief rise in creek levels.

A big cool down ahead

The stronger cold front leading into Saturday will cause temperatures to drop throughout the day. Our warmest temperatures will be at midnight, as we will fall throughout the day. The afternoon will likely see temperatures in the 40s. Sunday will cool down even more, with many of us staying in the 30s.

Next week, temperatures continue to trend closer to average in the low 40s.