Welcome to March…uh I mean May here in Central and Eastern Kentucky
An upper level low will keep things unseasonably cool for a few days before a warm-up kicks in
The calendar said May 1st but Monday could have easily passed for March 1st across Central and Eastern Kentucky as afternoon highs struggled into the low to mid 50s! These readings are typically seen during the first week of March…not May so we were a solid 15 to 20 degrees below average. This is all due to an upper level low that is sitting and spinning over the Great Lakes, keeping much of the area under clouds, breezy conditions and below average temperatures.
The upper low will be very stubborn and slow moving over the next couple of days, thus keeping our area unseasonably cool for early May with a few showers and/or sprinkles possible Tuesday afternoon. We may actually start out with some sunshine but as the surface “heats” up, this will produce some additional clouds and a few sprinkles into the afternoon hours. Add in a brisk west wind and it will feel a bit cool once again Tuesday with afternoon highs creeping back into the upper 50s.
We’ll finally start to break out of the cool early May temperatures through the mid and into the late week. With the upper low shifting out into the Atlantic and high pressure building in, temperatures should recover into the low 60s on Wednesday with upper 60s to low 70s possible on Thursday.
Heading toward Oaks Day, a wave of low pressure will dive southeastward through the Missouri River Valley, pushing some moisture and shower chance back into Kentucky. While much of the Bluegrass is looking at scattered showers, it could be a little wet at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Oaks Day. With some cloud cover and showers in the area, afternoon highs will stick into the upper 60s. Other than a morning shower Saturday, Derby Day is looking nice across the board with plenty of sunshine during the afternoon and highs back into the mid-70s. Hopefully that forecast holds for Saturday.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy, breezy and chilly. Lows in the low-40s.
TUESDAY: Scattered clouds and breezy, afternoon sprinkles. Highs in the mid to upper 50s.
TUESDAY NIGHT: More clouds and breezy. Lows in the upper-30s.
