Kentucky Weather Center

Good Friday everyone and welcome to the weekend. It’s a weekend that will feel and look a lot like summertime across the bluegrass state. This is a pattern that will be in no big hurry to break down and may actually kick into high gear as we get closer to the big Memorial Day Weekend.

Temps today make a run into the low 80s for many areas of the bluegrass state. Areas across the west and south may see temps closer to the middle 80s. We will also notice an increase in humidity levels and this may lead to a scattered storm or two popping up. The best chance for that happening will be across the south and southeast. Here’s your regional radar…

The threat for an isolated storm will hang around through the weekend as our temps ramp it up a notch. Highs Saturday and Sunday will warm into the middle and upper 80s.

A weak system works in here by Monday and that will lead to a little better shot at some showers and storms. The GFS is certainly picking up on this…

The weather leading up to the holiday weekend will become warmer by the day as a heat wave builds across the plains states. That attempts to build eastward in time.The European Model and European Ensembles show this heat ridge very well…

That may also be a major severe weather player for the plains and northern parts of the country.

Have a great Friday and take care.

Good Thursday everyone. Summer air is poised to flood into the bluegrass state as we head into the upcoming weekend. The warm air looks to hang around a while and may carry us all the way through Memorial Day weekend. Will some thunderstorms try to spoil the summer ride? That’s always a possibility in this type of pattern.

Today may be the one day for the next few weeks that doesn’t feel like summer. We have a refreshing brand of air in town with most areas in the middle 70s for highs. Skies should be mostly sunny for the better part of the state as the warm and humid air hangs out just to our south. That air may be JUST close enough to threaten far southeastern Ky with a popcorn shower or thunderstorm late today.

Temps will really take off and surge well into the 80s on Friday and that carries us through the weekend. Check out the numbers from the GFS…

We will also increase the humidity levels during this time and that may lead to some scattered showers and thunderstorms going up on any given afternoon. A slightly better chance for some storms will be with us early next week as our weather becomes a little more unsettled.

The summer feeling setup looks like it will continue right on into the unofficial kickoff to summer… Memorial Day Weekend…

Have a great Thursday and take care.

Good Wednesday everyone. We have a weak cold front settling southward into the state today and this bad boy is likely to touch off some scattered storms. This boundary will also knock the temps down a degree or two for Thursday before the weather takes on a summer feel by the weekend. Speaking of Summer… I have a few thoughts ahead.

The day will start out with a mix of sun and clouds across most of the state. Winds will pick up as temps head into the mid and upper 70s for most. 80 degree temps will be possible for a few spots… especially in the south. A broken line of thunderstorms will be possible during the afternoon and evening as our front dips in.

Slightly cooler air then filters in for Thursday with temps in the low and middle 70s. Skies should be mainly sunny and this looks like one pretty weather day around here.

Warmer air scoots in here for Friday as thermometers make a run toward the low 80s. The 80s should be common over the weekend into early next week. We will ramp up the humidity levels and this means a scattered storm or two will be possible during this time. That’s what you get with a summer feeling pattern.

Some of the models try to take on a rather unsettled look as we go into early next week. The European Model is among them…

We will see how that works out, but a slightly stormier pattern could be the end result. Speaking of… it has been VERY quiet on the severe weather front over the past month or so.

A quick note about the summer ahead. We are coming out of a La Nina and face the possibility of the equatorial Pacific Ocean warming enough to be classified as a El Nino. Check out the forecast from the CFS…

The last time we switched from La Nina to El Nino was 2009 and that summer was a very cool one around here. Some of the other years featuring a similar switch: 1986, 1976, 1972, 1968, 1963 and 1957.  None of those summers were scorching hot. 1976, 1972 and 1963 join 2009 as very cool ones across our part of the world. Will 2012 follow the same path? We will know in a couple of months.

Have a great Wednesday and take care.

Good Tuesday to all my fellow weather lovers. Our temp pattern is about to run a little on the warmer side of things as we roll through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Does this warmer pattern mean we will also have to deal with storms? I will talk about all that and take a look toward the tropics.

Today is a pretty good weather day across the state. We will see a mix of sun and clouds for many areas with the clouds a little more of an issue in the east. This is also the part of the state that stands the highest risk of seeing a shower or thunderstorm today. Temps should hit the mid and upper 70s for much of central and eastern Kentucky with 80 across the far west.

We will watch a weak front dropping in from the northwest on Wednesday. This front will spark a broken line of showers and storms by the late afternoon. This shows up well on the NAM Simulated Radar…

Temps should return to the 70s for most areas as winds pick up ahead of this boundary. Slightly cooler air filters in for Thursday with highs in the low and mid 70s after starting out the day in the 40s.

Highs may hit 80 or better from Friday through the upcoming weekend as we also increase the humidity levels. This may mean an isolated storm or two going up during this time. A better chance of storms appears to be looming for early next week.

Some of the medium range forecast models have been hinting at some early season tropical action in the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico toward the end of the month. The GFS and GFS Ensembles…

 Yep… Summer is almost here.

Have a terrific Tuesday and take care.

Good Monday and welcome to a brand spanking new week. We are coming off a soaker of a Mother’s Day across the bluegrass state. Much of central and eastern Kentucky picked up 1″-3″ of rain. Some leftover showers will be with us today and then we will start to warm it up by the end of the week and weekend.

Today’s rain will be more widespread the farther east you live. A rumble of thunder can’t be ruled out. Areas across the west will see some rays of sunshine that will warm their temps into the 70s. Those with the heaviest rains may have a tough time getting their thermometers up to 70.

An isolated shower may hang around into Tuesday with a mix of sun and clouds taking over. Temps will warm into the 70s.

A weak front will try to drop in from the north later Wednesday and Wednesday night. Our temps should spike toward 80 out ahead of this front as southwesterly winds pick up. This front may get close enough to touch off a few showers and storms.

It is looking more and more like we get into a fairly pronounced warm up by the weekend. Look at the digits from the GFS…

The European Model is also getting on board the warm train…

We should also see a nice little spike in humidity levels that can lead to a few isolated showers and thunderstorms going up.

Have a wonderful Monday and take care.

Good Sunday and Happy Mother’s Day to all our weather loving moms out there. My gift to you on this big day is a virtual umbrella to remind you to carry the real umbrella around today. You will put it to good use. Maybe you will even get a new on as a present.

Widespread rain and rumbles of thunder will continue to work across much of the state today. The heaviest rain will fall across the central and east with some areas picking up 1″-2″ of rain through tonight. Track it all on regional radar…

We actually need a little drink of water across most of the state. But, we would have liked the timing of it to have been a little different.

Highs today till stay way down because of the clouds and rain. Many areas will have a hard time getting out of the low and mid 60s. Lingering showers and thunderstorms will stay with us tonight and into Monday… especially in the east.

Have a wonderful Sunday and I hope today is a special one for the moms and moms to be.

Take care.

Good Saturday to one and all. We are riding into the weekend on a pleasant note, but don’t let the nice start fool you. Showers and thunderstorms will be on the increase later today and this action will really ramp up later tonight into Mom’s big day. Don’t shoot me… I’m just the messenger in all this.

We will have a mix of sun and clouds around today as temps warm well into the mid and upper 70s. A southwesterly wind will usher an increase in moisture around here and this means some scattered showers and storms to go up before the day is over. Here’s your regional radar to follow the action…

The rain and storms will really increase overnight into Sunday. Rain will likely be heavy at times and some areas can pick up an inch or two of rain through early Monday. The models are in good agreement…

Scattered showers and storms may hang tough into Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Temps through the period won’t stray too much from normal.

Have a great Saturday and take care.

Good Friday everyone and welcome to the weekend. We have had a nice little shot of cool air over the past few days. Readings in the 60s with full sunshine is okay in my book for any time of the year. Now we head into Mom’s big weekend on a much warmer note. That warm air will also bring the threat for some scattered showers and storms back into the picture.

The cool round of temps we are coming out of has been something out of the norm for this year. 2012 is on pace to be the warmest on record for many cities across Kentucky. The National Weather Service in Louisville has been keeping a running tab on where we stand. This is what they show through May 9th…

Those are some toasty numbers and I can’t imagine the rest of the year being cold enough to keep most of these cities from, at least, seeing top ten warmest years on record.

High temps today will run in the low 70s with a sunny sky. Overall, this is an awesome start to the weekend. Saturday looks to be the warmest day of the next few with temps in the mid and high 70s. We could see an isolated shower or storm popping up later in the day as moisture increases from the southwest. This will lead to a better threat for some showers and storms for Mother’s Day Sunday and into early next week.

We appear to be on the northern fringe of the moisture plume over the next 5 days. The GFS Ensembles 5 Day Rainfall Forecast…

That’s a lot of rain being forecast to fall into the deep south and parts of Texas. The rain is sorely needed in many of those areas and it will be interesting to see if this is the start of a wetter trend down there. They are certainly due and that will be something to watch as we head into Summer because that may have an indirect impact on our weather.

Have a great Friday and take care.

Good Thursday to one and all. We have a very nice brand of air that has overspread the bluegrass state today. This means cooler temps and plenty of sunshine. The cool will border on the chilly overnight as readings drop into the upper 30s and low 40s for most areas. Never fear… warmer weather is in store for the upcoming weekend.

Our short-term forecast is fairly straight forward. Skies today will be partly to mostly sunny with readings in the mid and upper 60s for many. It’s later tonight that we should see our coldest readings until fall as lows bottom out in those upper 30s for some.

A warmer wind will blow by Friday afternoon with temps heading into the low 70s. That will jump-start a warmer weekend across Kentucky. Temps Saturday will soar into the mid and upper 70s with only a slight chance for a late day storm or two. A better threat for some boomers will be with us for Mother’s Day. The scattered action will carry us into early next week and it’s all courtesy of a slow-moving system working in from the south. Here’s the European Model…

Temps during this time will be a little tricky as clouds and shower and thunderstorm action will play a big role. That is not a very warm looking pattern and the GFS Ensembles suggests the next week runs a little below normal and shows the following week close to normal…

I wonder if we can keep that “normal” temperature look going into the summer? Hmmm

Have a great Thursday and take care.

Good Wednesday everyone. Much cooler air continues to spill into the bluegrass state from the north. The coolest temps arrive on the scene later tonight into Thursday as readings take a walk on the chilly side. That will really be the case over the next few mornings as thermometers flirt with the upper 30s in a few areas. Temps will then warm by the weekend as… wait for it… wait for it… scattered storms fight back into our picture.

High temps today will range from the upper 60s to lower 70s with a mix of sun and clouds. There is the chance for a very light shower or a few sprinkles… especially across the north. That cool air then really settles in tonight as temps chill toward 40 degrees by Thursday morning. Sunshine on Thursday won’t do a whole lot to warm our temps as many areas stay in the 60s for highs.

Some of the models are suggesting Friday morning could see a few spots hitting the upper 30s. The GFS…

Afternoon temps on Friday will hit the lower 70s under mostly sunny skies. Even warmer air will push in to start our weekend on Saturday with upper 70s across the board. When it warms, it storms. The threat for some showers and storms will move in by Mother’s Day with temps back in the 70s. That storm chance may be with us into early next week as digging trough tries to cut off…

Have a wonderful Wednesday and take care.