Wet weather returns to the area as the fall season arrives

The fall season officially arrived at 2:19 PM Eastern on Monday and the change of seasons clearly had an impact on our weather Monday and should continue to do so over the next several days. After very little in the way of rainfall over the last 5 weeks dating back to mid-August, scattered showers and storms returned to the commonwealth for the final day of summer on Sunday and we saw more of the same to begin the week Monday. In addition to producing some fairly widespread and beneficial rain, a few stronger storms fired up ahead of a mid-level wave of energy with some gusty winds and hail in some areas. The clouds and rain did take the edge of temperatures as well with afternoon highs into the low-80s.

Showers and storms should continue into the early hours of Tuesday, especially across Southern and Southeastern Kentucky as the mid-level wave slowly works eastward. During the daylight hours, we may see a good bit of dry time as we’ll be in between systems with another area of low pressure developing out to our west but you’ll still want to take the rain gear along just to be on the safe side. With a mix of clouds and sunshine, afternoon highs should remain into the low-80s, just slightly above average for late September.

A stronger wave of low pressure will drag a cold front through the region into the mid to late week, bringing another round of rain and storms to the area. With plenty of moisture coming up from the south, much of the data is showing some solid rainfall totals with widespread totals of 1″ to 2″ plus alone during that mid-week window. There is the potential for a few strong to severe storms as the cold front moves through the area late Wednesday and into Thursday. Right now the Storm Prediction Center has much of the commonwealth in a Level 1 severe weather risk (out of 5) with damaging winds and hail being the main threats. Keep in mind it is possible we could be upgraded to a level 2 threat based on the latest models so that’s something to watch for later in the week. Temperatures will remain warm but not off the charts as afternoon highs reach the upper 70s.

Finishing out the week and heading into the weekend some drier air should work back into the Ohio Valley so our rain chances should back off a bit. A few bits of good news is that all the anticipated rainfall over the next few days should go a long way in knocking back the on-going drought here in the Bluegrass, plus much of the weekend is looking mainly dry. With all the fall festivals continuing across the region the timing is pretty good on the tranquil weather returning. Afternoon highs look comfortable for this time of the year with afternoon highs in the upper 70s to around 80 degrees.