Wildfire smoke thickens up mid-week, but should back off Thursday as our storm chances return
A series of thunderstorm complexes rolling in from the northwest should increase our strong storm potential as we close out June
It was quite an interesting day of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky. While conditions were quiet, the smoke and haze from the Eastern Canada wildfires really thickened up around the area with no wind to speak of thus reducing visibility and dropping air quality levels significantly. The air quality levels in Lexington were the worst they’ve been since July 2007 so this made for unhealthy levels for ANYONE spending time outdoors. An Air Quality Alert is out until Midnight (Thursday morning) for all of Kentucky so limit your time outside until conditions improve. The smoke and haze should begin to lift and scour out into Thursday afternoon as our focus shifts to more active weather to close out June.
With the big bubble of heat over the Southern Plains nudging to the east a bit into Thursday and Friday, our chances for multiple thunderstorm complexes (MCS) will increase as storms develop to our northwest and “ride the ridge to the southeast, right into the heart of the commonwealth. Much of the high resolution, short term data has trended farther east with the first complex moving in on Thursday. As a result the storm chances along I-75 and points to the west are now higher with strong storms on the table. The Storm Prediction Center has now expanded the Level 2 risk (out of 5) for all areas along and west of I-75. Damaging winds and heavy rain are the primary threats but an isolated spin-up tornado can’t be ruled out. The other issue is that there is a huge bust potential for afternoon highs depending on where we see storms and where we don’t.
Central and Eastern Kentucky will remain in this pattern into Friday as we close out June with yet another thunderstorm complex possible into early Friday. The Day 3 storm outlook from the Storm Prediction Center now has most of Central and Eastern Kentucky in the Level 2 risk (out of 5) so that’s some thing to watch as all modes of severe weather are possible with damaging winds still the main concern. Heat and humidity will help fuel these storms as afternoon highs potentially reach the low 90s on Friday.
Kicking off July on Saturday a frontal boundary will be sitting off to our west with the entire area sitting in the hot and humid air-mass. This should help more widespread rain and storms to develop so much of the traditional “weekend looks unsettled and stormy as afternoon highs drop back into the mid-80s Sunday after reaching the upper 80s to around 90 degrees on Saturday. Looking ahead to Independence Day, our storm chances should be a bit more isolated to scattered as afternoon highs recover into the upper 80s. Stay tuned!
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: A few clouds and hazy. Lows in the mid-60s.
THURSDAY: Hazy with a few storms possible. Highs in the mid to upper-80s.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Warm and muggy with more storms. Lows in the upper-60s and low 70s.
