Wet, windy, and stormy into the mid-week
We could see record highs temperatures Tuesday into the upper 60s, but gusty winds and a few strong storms could be possible.
It’s definitely been an interesting stretch of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky to closer out 2022 and kickoff 2023. We went from temperatures a few degrees below zero in the days prior to Christmas to record setting highs just before the new year, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has lived in this area for awhile. That’s good ole Kentucky weather for you! It looks like the unseasonably mild air for early January will stick around for a few more days but with record highs on the table Tuesday, that usually means wind and storms as well. We’ve definitely had a few foggy mornings to 2023 with all the low level moisture around.
A cold front will slowly approach into Tuesday and with winds gusting to around 40 miles per hour, highs should surge into the upper 60s to near 70 degrees, which would be record setting here in Lexington. The downside of the warmth is the heavy rain and strong storm potential Tuesday and into Wednesday. Right now it appears we’ll see a few rounds of showers and storms overnight before a weakening line of storms arrives Tuesday morning, followed by some gusty showers into the afternoon hours.
After a break brief, more rain and storms should arrive late Tuesday night and into early Wednesday as the cold front slides through. A few things work to our advantage as far as keeping the overall severe threat down. The timing of the activity being during the overnight hours, plus a lot of the energy/better dynamics for widespread severe weather will be to our south and that has a tendency to eat up some of the energy. Nevertheless, a few storing storms will be possible with damaging winds the primary threat. An isolated tornado spin-up isn’t out of the question so keep that in mind, but these typically are fairly weak, don’t last long and only impact isolated areas. Just a heads up since this is an out of season severe threat.
Once the front clears the area, we may see a bit of sunshine briefly Wednesday afternoon as temperatures fall from the low 60s into the mid-50s by late afternoon. An upper level system will track just to our north into the late week so some low level overcast is expected along with cooler temperatures that are closer to average for early January with highs in the low and mid-40s. A fast moving clipper system could bring a few showers into the weekend but more on that later this week.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
MONDAY NIGHT: Breezy and mild, rain and storms. Lows in the low-60s.
TUESDAY: Windy and mild, more rain and storms. Highs in the upper-60s.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Showers and storms. Lows in the upper 50s.
