Author Archives: Chris Bailey

Good Friday and welcome to the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend. One more shot of cool air is blowing out there today and this will be with us to start the big weekend. Things will slowly begin to toast up by the middle and end of next week as the summer pattern begins to take shape.

Temps today will range from the low to mid 60s across much of the state. Skies will be mostly sunny as a cool wind continues to blow. Temps tank overnight into early Saturday and some spots could see mid to upper 30s across central and eastern Ky. Some patchy frost is possible in the colder valleys.

Milder air will slowly increase from southwest to northeast over the rest of the weekend. That may deliver a narrow ribbon of clouds and a few showers by Saturday night into Sunday…

Isolated showers and storms will be around to end the weekend into Memorial Day. Temps will head up into the mid and upper 70s by Monday and then really take off by the second half of the week. A very warm and humid pattern will take shape with readings in the upper 80s to near 90 possible.

Speaking of summer… the National Hurricane Center issued their Hurricane Forecast for this season. Here’s a snippet from them…

For the six-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

These ranges are well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.

Right on cure, the medium range forecast models are lowering pressures in the Caribbean as we end may and go into the first few days of June.

European

GFS

Yep… summer is just around the corner.

Have a great Friday and take care.

Good Thursday to my fellow weather lovers. Today is shaping up to be another stormy day across our part of the world as a cold front finally moves across the state. These storms are not expected to be severe, but gusty winds will be noted along the front. What’s behind the front will be the big story over the next few days as temps take a dive.

The showers and storms today will be sparse early then increase during the afternoon and evening. Your obligatory radar…

Temps will hit the low and mid 70s ahead of the front then come crashing down behind it this evening and overnight. Readings by Friday morning will drop toward the 40 degree mark in a few spots… especially in the north. Afternoon highs will only make it into the 60s under a partly to mostly sunny sky.

Check out the forecast lows from the GFS…

Well… some upper 30s certainly wouldn’t be welcome around here at any point in May… let alone Memorial Day Weekend. I guess we will see if we gt that cold.

The cooler air is going to hang on a little deeper into the big weekend…

We will finally see temps back to normal by Memorial Day and that will come with the chance for some scattered showers and storms…

It doesn’t look like a washout by any means.  A blast of 80s returns for the rest of next week.

Have a great Thursday and take care.

Good Wednesday, everyone. Let me start out by apologizing for not giving you an update on the Tuesday storms. My TV duties on WKYT kept me busy with almost wall to wall coverage. I was still able to send out warnings and information via twitter and Facebook. That’s why I always encourage you to follow me through those outlets as well as here on the blog.

Damaging winds blew across the state on Tuesday and we could be in line for another round or two today. Lines of storms will roll across the state today and these may contain damaging winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes.

More run of the mill stuff will be with us on Thursday as a cold front moves across the state. Temps will take a big dip by Friday as cooler and drier air blows in. Highs may not get out of the 60s with lows heading into the low 40s for Saturday. Temps come up over the Memorial Day Weekend and that may be accompanied by some storms by Sunday night or Monday.

Let’s get to tracking today’s 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 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.