Kentucky Weather Center

Good Tuesday everyone. A TORNADO WATCH has been issued until 5am central time for parts of western Kentucky. Here’s a look at the watch outline and the latest warnings…

The threat for strong and severe storms moves into the bluegrass state today and will hang around for a few more days. Our spring has been as quiet as you can get, but folks across Oklahoma were saying the same thing a week ago. Things can flip in a heartbeat.

A cold front slowly works toward the state today and gets close enough for thunderstorms to develop. The highest threat for severe storms is across western and parts of central Kentucky. Damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes will be possible.

That threat moves farther east across the state late tonight and Wednesday.

I have you all set to track today’s possible severe storms…

Today’s Risk Area

Current Watches

Possible Watch Areas

I will send out updates and warnings via twitter: Kentuckyweather or follow along in the twitter feed on the right side of the blog. I will also have updates on my Chris Bailey WKYT Facebook page.

Take care.

Good Monday and welcome to a busy weather week. Things are starting off on a tropical note with very warm temps and high humidity levels. All of this comes crashing down later this week as a strong cold front brings a big cool down our way. Between now and then may get a little bumpy as storms fire up.

Temps today will hit the mid and upper 80s across the entire state. Some areas have a shot at the first 90 degree reading of the year. Throw in high humidity levels and the sweat index will be way up there. An isolated thunderstorm will most certainly blow up in the heat and humidity.

Tuesday will be another very warm and humid day with temps back into the mid and high 80s. There’s a better shot at getting showers and storms going by the end of the day and the models are hinting at the possibility of some big boomers. Here’s the NAM Simulated Radar for Tuesday Evening…

The GFS is heading in that direction for the same time…

All of this is part of a massive severe weather outbreak across the plains states. This will likely provide us with the potential for strong or severe storms from late Tuesday into Wednesday and Thursday.

Much cooler and drier air swings in for Friday with temps in the upper 60s and low 70s for highs. This pleasant weather will continue into the first half of the Memorial Day Weekend. Things may try to turn stormy by Sunday or Monday as the battle zone of weather tries to set up across our region…

Have a great day and take care.

Good Sunday, everybody. Scattered showers and thunderstorms continue to be the name of the weather game out there today. The on and off boomers will soon be accompanied by some honest to goodness tropical feeling weather. I may even throw a heat index your way over the next few days.

Scattered showers and storms will develop again today. You know the drill…

Temps across western Kentucky will surge into the mid and upper 80s with upper 70s to low 80s across the east. The setup for Monday and Tuesday will find our air coming straight out of the western Gulf of Mexico…

Thermometers will hit the upper 80s to near 90 degrees as dewpoints surge into the low 70s. What does that mean for you? The sweat factor is going to be off the charts for this time of year. We will still have to watch for a few storms going up and that environment could lead to any storm blowing up pretty good.

An outbreak of severe weather will continue through Tuesday across the plains states and that will slowly work eastward. Wednesday and Thursday is giving us one of the few severe weather signals of the year here in the bluegrass state. That’s something to watch as we go forward.

A shot of cooler air will then blow into town by Friday…

That shouldn’t last too long as warm and humid air looks to fight back in during the Memorial Day Weekend. A few storms may join the pool and lake kickoff parties.

Have a great Sunday and take care.

Good Saturday and welcome to the weekend. A warm and humid pattern continues across the commonwealth and this will help aid in the development of showers and thunderstorms. The weekend is NOT going to be a washout, but your outdoor plans may be interrupted by some boomers.

The highest chance for showers and storms will be this afternoon into the evening. Temps will range warm into the muggy 70s outside of the drops. Locally heavy downpours will be a good bet.

The storms will diminish later this evening into the overnight hours. Those will return as we head into Sunday afternoon and evening… especially across the east.

Very warm and humid air will continue to work in here over the next few days. Temps in the mid and upper 80s will be likely…

That is some toasty stuff showing up. Any shower and thunderstorm action will be much more isolated early next week. Those storm chances will be on the increase for the middle and end of the week.

Have a great Saturday and take care.

Good Friday, folks. Rounds of showers and storms have been rolling across the bluegrass since Thursday morning and those storms will continue for the next several days. The timing on this pattern doesn’t spell the best of news for those of us hoping for a weekend of wonderful weather.

A stalled out front continues to be draped across the region today and this will help fire off additional showers and storms. The best coverage on the boomers will be during the afternoon and evening hours. Locally heavy rainfall, tremendous lightning and small hail will be possible.

A little impulse moves in by Saturday and that looks to add a little more lift to the atmosphere. That may lead to a greater coverage of the showers and thunderstorms and that shows up well on the GFS…

With a fairly light flow aloft and a juicy atmosphere… the heavy rain threat will need to be watched. Another round or two of storms will be possible through Sunday. The rain numbers through early next week continue to be impressive..

Temps early next week will likely surge well into the mid and upper 80s for Monday and Tuesday. The threat for showers and thunderstorms will come down a bit for those days. That will pick back up for the middle and end of next week.

Make it a great Friday and take care.

Good Thursday, everybody. We’re heading back into a familiar pattern in the coming days… one that features rounds of showers and thunderstorms. This action gets started out there today and looks to continue all the way into the first half of next week. At least we will be keeping the warm temps… for now.

Today’s boomers will increase during the afternoon and evening as a weak cold front drops in from the north. This front will never make it through the region as it puts the brakes on. Here’s the regional radar to follow today’s storms…

Higher humidity levels will continue to work into the region and combine with the stalled out front to create additional showers and storms over the next several days.

Any storm that goes up can be on the strong side and put down heavy downpours. Highs through the weekend will range from the upper 70s to low 80s. It’s not going to rain all the time, but it will come down at a good rate when it does.

Showers and storms will become more widespread as we head into early next week and that’s when the threat for severe weather may finally push in. More heavy rain will be possible and the GFS is showing a wet pattern over the next few weeks…

The models are still suggesting the potential for a cutoff low to form across our region toward the end of next week and beyond…

Have a great Thursday and take care.

Good Wednesday, everyone. We have an honest to goodness blast of summer air blowing across the state today. This will push thermometers well into the 80s and may flirt with a record or two in the west. This air will turn humid over the next few days and that will help lead to more in the way of showers and storms.

Temps today will hit the middle 80s for most of central and eastern Kentucky. Upper 80s to near 90 degrees will be noted across the west. Yes… I said 90 degrees 2 days after frost.

A cold front slides into the Ohio Valley and checks up on Thursday. This will cause scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop. This will become a theme for the weekend as a daily threat for some boomers will be with us.

A strong cold front approaches by late Tuesday and this will lead to an increase in showers and storms. We will deal with the strong or severe threat as we get closer. Right now… the models are forecasting some pretty good rain totals over the next week…

Heavy rain will be the biggest threat from the storms that go up and that just means our soggy spring and year rolls on.

Many models are hinting at another big change toward cooler for the middle and end of next week. The European Model is toying with the idea of another slow moving cutoff low…

Let’s hope that’s not the case.

Have a great day and take care.

Good Tuesday to one and all and thanks for dropping by KWC. We’re shaking off the recent chill and replacing it with a surge of early Summer air that will carry us through the next week or so. This is exactly what a lot of folks have been hoping for, but I still think this is a false start on Summer. Another shot of cool air is lurking for next week.

The breakdown of the forecast is pretty simple for the next few days. Thermometers hit the 70s across central and eastern Kentucky this afternoon with low 80s in the west. Those 80s will blow across the rest of the state on Wednesday and we could see some upper 80s across the west. Wow!

More humidity enters the picture by Thursday and that will combine with a weak front to the north to produce scattered showers and thunderstorms. That action will be rather scattered, but will be with us each and every day through the coming weekend. You can see the favored corridor of storms on the GFS rainfall forecast through Sunday…

Some strong storms will be possible during this time. Highs will continue to run in the upper 70s and low 80s with lows in the 60s.

Things look to turn rather stormy into early next week as a strong cold front works in from the northwest. Severe weather?That’s another push of very cool air working our way and fits the pattern we’ve been in for the past few months.

Have a great Tuesday and take care.

Good Monday morning. Our week is off and running on a very cold note with widespread frost and likely record cold temperatures. If you’re sick of the chill… a blast of summer air blows into town for the middle of the week. Yes, in true Kentucky fashion we will go from frost to 80s in just a few days.

You know the drill about the temps out there this morning. We’ve set this up for well over a week now, so it should be of no surprise to anyone who watches or reads.

Readings this afternoon will top out around 60 under mostly sunny skies. Another round of frost is possible tonight for parts of eastern Kentucky with readings back into the mid and upper 30s. The weather on Tuesday will see warmer air surging in here with temps back into the 70s.

We head into the 80s on Wednesday as warmer and more humid air filters in. This will set the stage for scattered showers and thunderstorm chances increasing by Thursday and lasting into the upcoming weekend.

The pattern will become much more active late in the weekend into early next week as we see a healthy temperature gradient setting up…

That low across the plains should send clusters of storms our way from late Sunday into Monday and Tuesday. That’s when another cold front may cross the state and knock our temps back down…

While not as strong as the cold fronts of late… it continues the overall trend we’ve seen this spring.

Have a magnificent Monday and take care.

Good Sunday and Happy Mother’s Day. A very cold air mass has pushed into the state today and it’s Mother Nature that is going to try to steal the weather show. Frost and record low temps are possible late tonight into Monday morning. A Green Thumb Alert is in full swing.

We swill start out the day with temps running in the upper 30s to low 40s. Thermometers later today will top out in the upper 50s across much of central and eastern Kentucky. A few spots may top the 60 degree mark under a partly sunny sky.

Tonight is when the frosty fun begins with readings likely dropping into the low and mid 30s. Record lows are in jeopardy:

Lexington: 37 1996     32 is the coldest recorded temp for this late in the season. (May 20, 1894)

Louisville: 40 1997     35 is the coldest recorded temp for this late in the season. (May 25, 1925)

Frankfort: 34 1941     31 is the coldest recorded temp for this late in the season. (May 22, 2002)

Bowling Green: 35 1895     33 is the coldest recorded temp for this late in the season. (May 16, 1997)

Covington: 31 1996     30 is the coldest recorded temp for this late in the season. (May 19, 2002)

As you can see… daily record lows are a good bet for some cities. If we can somehow approach the 32 degree mark… it could challenge some of the coldest temps ever for this late in the spring. Any high clouds or fog would keep temps up a few degrees, so it’s touch and go on that.

Regardless… frost is a real possibility Monday morning.  Afternoon temps will rebound toward 60 under sunny skies. Another frost threat will be with us early Tuesday in the east.

Much warmer air will then shoot in here for the middle of the week…

That will push temps well into the 80s and ushers in a pattern more typical of May. It’s one that will also see an increase in the threat for showers and thunderstorms by Thursday. That looks to kick into high gear into early next week…

This is NOT a pattern that is flipping the switch to summer.

Make it a great day and take care.